Translation:Chayey Moharan

by Nathan of Breslov

Notes of "the Copyist" are those of the Tcheriner Rav, R' Nachman Goldstein z"l. Notes that are enclosed in <pointed brackets> indicate text that was not included in earlier, censored versions; see Chayey Moharan background.

BRI's print book "Tzaddik" (1987) has a different numbering in Part 1. There it starts Siman 1 at "His Place of Birth" etc. which is Siman 104 in other editions that use the Agudat Meshekh Hanachal numbering.

Title Page

Life of MOHARAN

Namely Rabbeinu haKadosh, towering among giants, the holy lamp, light of lights, schoolmaster of all Yisrael, "Gushing brook, source of wisdom",^[1] man of God, our great maestro Rabbi Nachman, memory of the righteous and holy is a blessing, composer of the books Likutei Moharan, Sefer haMidot, Sipurei Ma`asiyoth, and other books, "that are [on the level] of the Ketuvim"^[2], great-grandson of the holy, lofty etc. Rabbi Nachman Horondenker, memory of the righteous is a blessing, grandson and nephew of the Godly Tanna, holy one of Yisrael, our great Maestro Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, memory of the righteous and holy is blessing, may their merit protect us and all Yisrael, Amen.

In this book is told a little of his holy life, his enormous toil and effort in serving Hashem Yithbarakh in enormous and supreme self sacrifice, from his childhood days to his passing, until he merited to live true life, life that is truly called "life." And it tells a little of events in his holy life and a little of his holy conversations that were heard from his holy mouth, and the time periods that passed on him, such as "your eyes may see his upright doings."^[3]

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In the year ZH YNCMNU MM`ASeinu me`itzvon yadeinu [5626]

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Published by H"H MHUR"R Abraham Yehoshua Heshil Druker N"Y
1874
Lemberg

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ספר
חיי מוהר"ן

הוא רבנו הקדוש, האדם הגדול בענקים, בוצינא קדישא, אור האורות, רבן של כל ישראל, נחל נובע מקור חכמה, איש אלקים, מורנו הרב רבי נחמן זכר צדיק וקדוש לברכה, בעל המחבר ספרי ליקוטי מוהר"ן וספר המידות וספורי מעשיות ועוד שאר חבורים והמה בכתובים, נכד קדוש עליון וכו' רבי נחמן הארידענקר זכר צדיק לברכה, נין ונכד להתנא האלקי קדוש ישראל מורנו הרב רבי ישראל בעל שם טוב זכר צדיק וקדוש לברכה, זכותם יגן עלינו ועל כל ישראל אמן:

בזה הספר יסופר מעט מחייו הקדושים מעוצם יגיעתו וטרחתו בעבודת השם יתברך במסירת נפש עצום ונשגב מימי ילדותו עד הסתלקותו, עד שזכה לחיות חיים אמיתיים, חיים הנקראים חיים באמת. ויסופר מעט מאשר עליו בימי חייו הקדושים ומעט משיחותיו הקדושות אשר נשמעו מפיו הקדוש והעתים אשר עברו עליו, כאשר עיניך תחזה במישרים.

לפרק זה ינחמנו ממעשינו מעצבון ידינו לפ'ק

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הובא לבית הדפוס ע"י ה"ה מהור"ר אברהם יהושע העשיל דראקר נ"י

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Chaje Muran
Verlager Abraham Drucker Gedruckt bei Carl Budweiser in Lemberg

Introduction

...

Part 1: Conversations, Stories and Circumstances Surrounding All the Torahs and Stories

[#1-59] Pertaining to the Torahs

1

The Torah "Be'Chatzotzrot" (Likutei Moharan 5) was said here in Breslov on Rosh Hashanah 5563 (Monday September 27, 1802). And Rosh Hashanah that year fell on Monday and Tuesday. This was his first Rosh Hashanah living here and [the first] where I was near him. Then it was heard in the world of decrees, that it was desired to be decreed upon the world, wherein we had entered through our great sins, to bring Yisroel to war then, G-d save us. For these were the decrees that, in those days, stemmed from the kingdom of Poland, before the czar of Russia ruled our lands (may his glory be put out). And afterwards, in the beginning of his possession of our lands, this matter quieted down a little; but later it returned and awoken and it was heard in the world they wished to make many decrees that were called "Punktrin". And then Rabbeinu z"l said the Torah "Be'Chatzotzrot". And it began (by saying) that each person must say that 'the entire world was only created for me', etc, and to provide that which is missing in the world, and to pray on its behalf to Hashem Yisbarach, etc., that is, before the decree of judgment, etc. See there, and this is a hint to the decrees, as seen above.

(And see in the Sefer Parparaot the wisdom written there: "And I heard from my father of blessed memory that Rabbeinu z"l hinted to this and it was already after the decree of judgment. But even so, Rabbeinu z"l toiled in this many times during the year, to sweeten the judgment, until, through the achievement of his prayer, the matter was delayed, and the decree did come forth until 16 years after he was hidden from us (i.e., he passed away). There is much about this to relate, and it will be explained in another place". See below, #6. The elders of our group told us that they once heard from Rabbeinu z"l, that he said, in this language: "Ikh hob das ap gishtupen oif etliche un tzvantsig yar - I delayed this for twenty-some years". And this was very exact, for from the time of the saying of this Torah mentioned above until the time the decree went out to the community at the end of the year 5587 was 25 years).

2

The Torah, "Call to Yehoshua," Likutei Moharan chapter 6, was delivered on Shabbat Teshuvah, following Rosh Hashanah as mentioned above. At that time, he referenced, at the beginning of the Torah, the verse: "And upon the throne was an appearance resembling a human, above it" (Ezekiel 1:26). [Later, in his holy handwritten version, this verse is not mentioned until close to the end, as explained in the book, see there.]

Then, he grasped the two arms of the chair he was sitting on, and he swayed with the chair, speaking with great awe, fear, and an intense self-sacrifice, saying in these words: "When one sits on the chair, he is a human being." These matters are very mysterious. [The transcriber adds: see Zohar, Tazria, 48a.]

Afterward, he completed the entire awesome Torah, as it is printed in the book. While saying this Torah, he did not speak at all about the intentions of Elul. Only after he completed the Torah and prayed Maariv (the evening prayer) and made Havdalah (the ceremony ending Shabbat), he returned to speak about this Torah, as he always did. Then, he turned to the important and elderly men who were sitting with him and said, "Tell me, how are the intentions of Elul alluded to in the above Torah?" They were silent and did not answer, for indeed, it is impossible to understand the secret of the intentions of Elul on their own, and how they are alluded to in this Torah.

He then instructed them to bring before him the Siddur of the Ari z"l (Rabbi Isaac Luria). He opened it and showed them the intentions of Elul. Afterward, his holy and awesome mouth opened, and he began to reveal wonders, explaining how all the intentions of Elul are hinted at in this Torah in a most wondrous and awesome manner, as is explained in the book. However, it is impossible to convey in writing the profound sweetness and wonders of the precise teachings, along with the incredible feelings I experienced at that time, when I had the merit to hear all of this.

After Shabbat, he continued speaking about this Torah, which discusses Moses, Joshua, and the Tent of Meeting, which represent the upper and lower points and the connecting Vav (the Hebrew letter representing connection). Then, he said to me in these words: "Wherever a teacher and student gather together, this concept is realized, the aspect of Moses, Joshua, and the Tent of Meeting."

Now, all this took place at the beginning of my approach to him, and at that time, I had not yet merited to write down the great teachings before him. I would only write down short teachings on my own, not in his presence. I longed for a long time to receive this Torah from him in his holy handwriting, but I did not merit this until after Purim, when I was by him in Medvedivka. Then, I sat before him and copied this Torah in his presence. From his mouth, he would call to me from his holy book, written in his holy handwriting, and I wrote it down on paper.

Afterward, at some time in the evening, I stood before him as he was already lying on his bed, preparing to sleep. I spoke with him at length, and then he revealed to me the three commandments that Israel was commanded upon entering the Land, which are connected to this as printed in its place, see there. He concluded then and said that all three of these commandments are aspects of Teshuvah (repentance), as printed there.

I then asked him how these three commandments are aspects of Teshuvah, and he answered and said, "That, you will say." With this, I left him, his memory is a blessing. Immediately, I began to contemplate this, and on my way from his house to my lodging, G-d, may He be blessed, arranged for me beautiful insights into this matter. When I arrived at my lodging, I found, with the help of G-d, writing tools, and I immediately wrote down what G-d had granted me in this matter. This was the beginning of my education to innovate in his holy Torah, as he trained me with his wondrous kindness and ways.

On the next day, I brought before him what I had written, and he was pleased with it and smiled with joy, and he said, "You will be able to learn if you are persistent." However, even so, after that, I was compelled to stop innovating until I studied more of the halachic decisors and afterward the books of Kabbalah, etc. until later he instructed me to innovate again, as explained elsewhere.

3

Before he said the lesson "Mishpatim" on faith, in chapter 7, I heard from him, of blessed memory, the lesson "A window (Tzohar) you shall make for the ark," in section 112, and I wrote what I heard as it was printed in the aforementioned section. However, afterward, he said the lesson "Tehomot Yechasyumu" in section 9, and in that lesson, the "Tzohar" lesson mentioned earlier was included. The "Tehomot Yechasyumu" lesson was given on Shabbat Shira, in the year 1803, while traveling. Afterward, he began to say the "Mishpatim" lesson, and he said it section by section.

At that time, he told of a conversation with the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, who told him that when there is a blemish in the Land of Israel, one falls into exile. And the sign is: "From there, he sees the stone of Israel." He asked us to explain that vision to him, but we did not know how to answer. Later, I showed him the lesson "A window you shall make for the ark," which I had written earlier, and he looked at it. Afterward, he answered and said, "From my students more than all of them" [meaning, that now he understood through me the explanation of the vision mentioned earlier of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory]. He said, "Now I understand the matter well." Afterward, he completed the "Mishpatim" lesson, where he speaks about faith and the Land of Israel, and how when there is a blemish in the Land of Israel in faith, one descends into the exile of Egypt.

I asked him if this is related to the aforementioned vision, and he answered that the matter of the vision had already been completed earlier, and the concept had been fully grasped. After that, I received from him the lesson "Tehomot Yechasyumu," and there, too, the lesson "Tzohar" is included. And at the end, it also explains that when there is a blemish in the Land of Israel, one descends into exile, and at the end, he explains the verse: "From there, he sees the stone of Israel," as it is written, "They sank in the depths like a stone." Now, we can slightly understand the explanation of the vision mentioned above.

4

When he said the lesson "I saw a golden menorah" in section 8, on Shabbat Hanukkah in the year 1803, he spoke there about how to bring down and humble the wicked, in the aspect of "He brings low the wicked to the ground" (Isaiah 26:5). Look there. At that same time, he brought down and humbled a certain well-known wicked man who was in Nemirov, who had been causing suffering to our people. They reported this to him, of blessed memory. And after Hanukkah, after he said the aforementioned lesson on Shabbat Hanukkah, that wicked man had a great downfall. At that time, he also said, in a humorous way: "When you travel and they ask you what you have accomplished, tell them 'wind,' etc." And the truth is that we indeed accomplished the spirit of life, which we received from him, to complete all deficiencies, as explained in the aforementioned lesson. After delivering the lesson, he danced a lot, for that year he danced many times.

5

The teachings that were said about the statements of Rabbah bar bar Ḥanah, our teacher, of blessed memory, said that he was quoting them in the name of their original speaker, meaning in the name of Rabbah bar bar Ḥanah himself. Also, at the time when he began to reveal teachings on the statements of Rabbah bar bar Ḥanah, he told how Rabbah bar bar Ḥanah came to him, sought his attention, and asked why he was not paying attention to his statements. He requested that he focus on them, and he promised to reveal to him wonderful and awe-inspiring insights within them.

6

[Pertaining to] Likutei Moharan Siman 16, “Reb Yochanan Mishto’ei”. He said this Torah on Shabbos morning in the middle of the summer of 5563 (1803 C.E.). On that occasion, a whole group of people came to him out of the blue for that Shabbos, as it was not one of the fixed times for the kibbutz at all (as has been explained elsewhere that the main times for gathering and for the kibbutz were fixed according to his decision at six times a year). At first, he was a little bit annoyed and said that we were making for ourselves Shabbosim; that is, he himself had made and fixed the Shabbosim when we would be with him, and now we had made for ourselves a Shabbos for a Kibbutz. Afterwards he said, “I had wanted to do something about the decrees called ‘Punktin’ ^[4] that are being heard in the World which they desire to decree against Yisroel, chas v’sholom.” That is, he wanted to try hard to sweeten them and to eradicate them. "But when I am by myself, what am I? For I myself am a simple person. Therefore, everyone came together suddenly in order that I can do what I must do about this.” He then said the Torah printed in Siman #160 that concerning Elisha it is written once just Elisha, and once it says ‘Ish Elokim’, ‘The man of G‑d’. It is brought (Zohar Shemos 44a) that when he was alone he was called simply Elisha; but when the bnei haneviyim^[5] were with him, he was called Ish Elokim.

He said then Torah twice. On Shabbes eve, he said the Torah “Emtzo’usa d’alma heicha”^[6] (Likutei Moharan Section 1 Torah 24), which discusses the nine Heicholin^[7] that do not bond and are unknown and no one can attain them etc. In the morning, at the daytime meal, he said the above-mentioned Torah, namely “Reb Yochanan Mishto’ei”, etc. The Rebbe’s eyes were like two [bright] moons. He said then that there are seventy nations, and they are contained within Esav and Yishmoel. One of them includes thirty‑five nations, and the other one includes thirty-five nations. In the future, two Moshiachs will conquer them – Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid. In addition, there exists a Tzaddik who encompasses both Moshiachs together. He also said many other things then, more than what has been printed. The table got broken from the large crowd who were pressing themselves on him. He got annoyed and said, “Are goyim sitting next to me at the table? Is it already the days of Moshiach when the goyim will come close to the Tsaddikim, as it is written, ‘And all the nations shall stream unto him’ (Isa. 2)?” This verse is relevant to the above Torah, “Reb Yochanan Mishto’ei”; see there. For this was his way, since all his speech was connected to the Torah he was busy with at the time, as is explained elsewhere.

Throughout that year, he was extremely busy in the matter of the ‘Punktin’. He was very troubled by them and said that they are not an empty thing. He had no patience for those who said that for sure the ‘Punktin’ would not actually happen, for how is it possible that Hashem yisborach could do such a thing to Klal Yisroel, chas v’sholom? However, the Rebbe, zichrono livrocho, said many times that this is nonsense. For surely we find that there have already been many harsh decrees against Yisroel, may the Compassionate One protect us from now onwards. He also spoke about this a lot, how we have to be greatly afraid of these gezeiros that are being heard, chas v’sholom. We should not consider them something insignificant, but rather we must very greatly beseech, pray, cry out and request compassion before Hashem yisborach; perhaps He will harken to our prayers and we will merit to annul them. For sure, prayer and supplication always help. See the Sicha relevant to the Torah “Lashemesh som oihel bohem” (Likutei Moharan I, Torah #49) where it is further explained how very much he toiled in those times concerning the ‘Punktin’ that were then being heard. These are the very same decrees that have been promulgated in our days, due to our many sins, sixteen years after his passing. In the merit of his prayer they were delayed until now. If only people would have obeyed him and shocked the earth and its fullness beforehand, involving themselves greatly in Prayers and Supplications to Hashem Yisborach as he had desired, for sure they would have been annulled completely.

7

The Torah "And it happened as they were emptying their sacks" in chapter 17 was said on the Shabbat of Hanukkah in the year 5556 (1806). In that year, many converts converted because they found in their books a contradiction to their faith, and this matter is explained well there in that Torah. From where did this come about? It is that they found in the books of the gentiles a contradiction to their faith, etc. See there. And the explanation of the matter in its simplicity is that already words like these were heard from some converts, particularly in that year when our Rabbi, blessed memory, said that saying, "Then there were many acts in the world like these," that suddenly after the Shabbat of Hanukkah, as our Rabbi, blessed memory, said, "Then the above saying," suddenly one convert from the village converted. And after that, he, blessed memory, told that he found in their words a contradiction to their faith. And so, one woman with her children converted then, and she said that members of her family also converted because they found in their books a contradiction to their faith, and this happened several times. Also, the righteous convert [Patachki] who was in earlier generations close to those who are very well known, they also say that he converted because he found in their books a contradiction to their faith. Also, I spoke with one convert who told me something like the above, that he found in their books a contradiction to their faith. And according to the above saying, it is well explained and understood. And in those days, as our Rabbi, blessed memory, said, "The Torah above," then many converts converted in the world.

8

"Rabbi Yonatan was engaged in Kartalit," in chapter 18. Some time ago, the Torah said, we once came to him, and my friend and I came to his room. He was lying on his bed and began to speak with us. He answered and said, "I lived today a life that I have not lived before because there are several kinds of life, and everything is called life, but today I lived a good life that I have not lived before, life like this." And afterwards, he began to speak and to reveal holy words from his mouth, revealing a few heads of chapters from the Torah Kartalit and did not reveal to us the whole Torah in explanation, only the heads of chapters with great joy. Also, after that, he spoke with us again several times about the matter of the life mentioned above, that all is called life. And also, regarding the matter of the life of hardship, there are many divisions, and it is understood that his intention was that the essence of life is when one merits to know from Him, blessed be He, and to attain the true attainment of the Torah, for they are the essence of life in truth, as it is written, "For He is your life." But not all life is equal, and also with him, blessed memory, there was a division between the life of earlier times and the life of now, until it was praised that the life today is a life that he never lived before, life like this. See and understand the depth of this holy language; blessed are we that we have merited to see such a living person.

9

Nine precious corrections, Likutei Moharan 20. This Torah was said on Rosh Hashanah 556 (1806), which fell on Thursday and Friday. And in the previous summer, between Passover and Shavuot, we were with him at the time when his son-in-law, Rabbi Mehamelnick, was here, and then he told us the awesome vision that begins with one lying on the ground. And he said that this Torah of the nine corrections is an explanation of the above vision. And he said that in all the Torahs that he speaks of, there are hints from this vision, but this Torah of the nine corrections is entirely an explanation of the above vision, and some of it is explained in its place. See there.

10

Afterwards, in the weeks that occurred on a Wednesday and Thursday, he said that the Torah was [connected to] Habakkuk's prayer, Torah 19. And then, that same summer, he began to recite the Torah of Atik Yomin, the Hidden and Concealed, Torah 21. In the beginning, I heard from him, blessed be his memory, some matters from this Torah, verse by verse, and then he recited it in completeness on Shabbat Nachamu. Prior to this, I stood before him on the eve of Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av, on the first day of the Shabbat, at the time when they cease eating meat. At that time, he was in great distress, lying on his bed, silent and thoughtful, and I stood before him, trembling and astonished, for several hours. Then he told me this matter, saying, "On this Shabbat, I cried very much before the Blessed Name, why is it that everything I want to do, I must do with self-sacrifice [meaning that everything that needs to be done in the service of the Name is very difficult and burdensome for him, and he can only do it with real self-sacrifice]." And he recounted that every day, when he stands in the morning and wants to pray, he cannot open his mouth at all and has nothing with which to revive himself, and then he wants to recall some melody to revive himself with some melody, but even this is prevented from him because he cannot remember any melody at all until he does not know how to stand and pray. Nevertheless, he stands to pray afterward, and when he begins the prayer, he then recalls some melody that comes to him naturally. The principle is that anything that he wants to do is very hard for him and must be done with self-sacrifice. And from this, my heart was awakened and I understood a great lesson for ourselves, to learn from him how much we need to strengthen ourselves and compel ourselves with all our might in everything concerning the Lord, especially regarding prayer. If a righteous and holy person like him needed to give his soul so much for prayer and for anything in holiness, and he had such obstacles and burdens before he did anything as mentioned above, how much more so we need to toil and exert ourselves and give our souls every day, especially during prayer, which is initially very burdensome for a person. And we need much effort and to compel ourselves in many ways and strategies, perhaps we will merit to utter some words in prayer. For one utterance in prayer, it is worthwhile to give one's soul because prayer is a matter that stands at the pinnacle of the world.

11

Then he told me, "On this Shabbat, they asked a question above, and I answered it with a solution. The question is that there are encompassing aspects with respect to the intellect, and there are encompassing aspects to the Torah, and what to do so that these encompassing aspects enter within, etc., as detailed in the Torah of Atik Yomin mentioned above." Afterwards, I stood again before him until after sunset, and then his attendant entered and said in this manner: "Rabbi [give money for candles]." He answered and said to me, "Did you hear what he says? Also this is an answer to the question, meaning that regarding the question mentioned above concerning the encompassing aspects, if one will be a proper person, he will merit to understand this." And praise be to the Blessed Name, I already understood a little about this.

12

Then he went on a journey and said that the Torah of Atik Yomin mentioned above was there on the road on Shabbat Nachamu, as mentioned above. While he was on the road, his little daughter, Miss Feiga, passed away, blessed be her memory, and upon his arrival at his home, they concealed this from him and did not inform him at all, because it was not known in his home, only in the nearby city of Ladizin where she was with a wet nurse, and therefore they were able to conceal it from him. And he, blessed be his memory, as soon as he descended from the carriage and entered his home, found people from our community who had come to him from Ne'amrov. Immediately, he spoke before them many words of Torah from the Torah of Atik Yomin mentioned above and included in his words the matter of the seven days of mourning as explained there. Also on the road, before his entry into the city, we understood from his words that he knew in the spirit of holiness that she had passed away, and afterwards, when he entered his home, he asked and inquired of his household members, who concealed it from him, and he did not observe mourning at all, and no one informed him until after Rosh Hashanah. Then he observed mourning for one hour as the law requires, since it was already after thirty days. And he said then that whenever they do not know from a person, there is no need to observe mourning, even though they know according to the concept. And afterwards, in the days of Elul, I was with him personally [because then, upon his arrival, I was not personally present; only all the above-mentioned was at the time of his entry into his home; I heard from my friends who were with him then]. And as soon as I entered with him, and he, blessed be his memory, was sitting with a heavy head in sorrow and began to speak immediately about the matter of life and death, he said to me, "Is there no difference between life and death except for one cubit, as now the person is here, and afterwards he dwells there?" And he gestured with his hand towards the house of the world, meaning that one who is righteous, even in his death, is alive—what difference is there for him between life and death? Only beforehand he lived here, and now he has established his dwelling there in the grave, and he lives there. And then he began to speak about eternal life, which is only with the Blessed Name, and anyone who is included in it, blessed be He, is also alive, and so forth, as explained in all this in the Torah of Atik Yomin mentioned above. And on Rosh Hashanah, after him, Tashk”h, he said that the Torah has nine precious corrections, mentioned above. And Rosh Hashanah then fell on a Thursday and Friday, and on Shabbat Teshuvah afterwards, we were uncertain whether we would merit for him to come from his room to sit with us at the third meal to reveal to us Torah. For it was not his custom to sit with us at the third meal except at certain known times as explained elsewhere. And we were standing and waiting close to his room, and suddenly the door of his room opened with great agitation, and all the people who stood there close were struck with great fear and were astonished and bewildered. And he called first, that he should come to his large house, and immediately entered into his room. And he began to speak with her about the matter of his little daughter's passing away, blessed be her memory, and she began again to deny and conceal, and he said, "Isn't it that I already know the truth and it was necessary to tell him clearly?" And he did not enter into the third meal because of this, and he observed mourning for one hour after Shabbat.

13

Afterwards he entered the large room and spoke with us in his usual manner. Then he asked one of us whether he had cried on Rosh Hashanah, and he said that the essence of crying is when it is out of joy and revelation. At that time, the wonderful matter in Your name will cause all to rejoice throughout the day, which is the initials of crying, as explained in Siman 175. He said that at that time, he had what is called in the language of piety a great illumination to say Torah, but through this, he became confused. He recounted that his little daughter who passed away came to him in a great vision, because his household was treating her with a foreigner who was engaged in incantations and charms. Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, said that although now sorcerers are not common, this foreigner was a complete sorcerer, and this was a great blemish to a holy and precious soul such as hers. Therefore, she came to him in a great vision because of this, and then he was compelled to ask until he was informed as mentioned above. Through this, he corrected her, and because of this, the matter was confused, and he did not say the great Torah that he was ready to say as mentioned above. And through the mercy of the Name, His kindness prevailed over us, and the Name, blessed be He, arranged that despite this, we did not lose that Torah, for we merited afterwards on the second day that He revealed to us then a high, long, wide, and very deep Torah, and it is the Torah sealed with the seal in Siman 22. And this Torah was suddenly said because at first, he sat and spoke with us as usual, and beforehand, he instructed a certain person to bring him oil and a wick to prepare a lamp of olive oil, and then he lit the lamp himself. For this was his way many times that he would suddenly light an olive oil lamp, and it was understood that he was sweetening judgments through this. And then, close to the lighting, and the lamp was burning near his table, he spoke with us with great awe, and within this, he instructed to bring before him a Selicha, and they brought it before him, and he opened it and said a bit from some Selicha of Yom Kippur. And all was before us, and we were standing around him, and he sat on his chair near his table in his room. Within this, he began to speak about Gan Eden and Gehinom, that Gan Eden and Gehinom are in this world, and so on, and he moved from one subject to another until he completed the entire Torah sealed with the seal mentioned above, and the speaking lasted about four hours. And what passed then is impossible to describe in writing. Fortunate is the hour, fortunate are the moments that we merited to stand before him. And afterwards, on Shabbat after Sukkot, he said that for this Torah, he gave a thousand red coins to the guard of the entrance above, in the place where he was, and so on, as explained in its place.

14

At the time that he gave us the Torah containing the nine corrections mentioned above in his handwriting, we stood before him, and he cut the pages of the Torah from his book in order to give them to us to copy. And the beginning of the Torah started in the middle of a page that had written on it another Torah that he did not want to give us to copy. And he was compelled to say these things to me by mouth, word by word, and I sat with him and wrote from his holy mouth. And within this, he became very excited, and his face was very red and shining, and he paused a bit in the middle, and there was a great wonder before us. And afterwards, he told us that this night was the yahrzeit of his mother, for it was then the 19th of Adar, and he had forgotten and did not light a lamp and did not say Kaddish, and then it was a leap year when the yahrzeit is in the two months of Adar, as is known. And within the writing of this Torah, his mother came to him and reminded him of the yahrzeit. And immediately he read a minyan, and learned Mishnayot, and said Kaddish and lit a lamp for her. And in the morning, he also read a minyan in his room where he sat and recited Shema by himself, and said Berakhot and Kdushah, and then all the Kaddishim and came to the tomb and the prayer for David, and the incense offering, and Alenu. And he said all of them by himself, not missing one, and then learned Mishnayot and said another Kaddish d’Rabbanan, and then he said that since his days, he had not recited Shema by himself, and this was the first time that he said Berakhot and Kdushah before the Ark, and there were also other things in this, and it seemed to me according to our understanding then that the little Torah mentioned above was named Peiga in honor of his mother, blessed be her memory, whose name was Peiga, and the Torah mentioned above was related to the issue of the soul’s departure from which emanate explanations of the Torah, for there is a soul that endures bitterness as explained there. And because of this, it seems according to my humble understanding that there was a connection when we engaged in the Torah mentioned above, and the soul of his holy mother, blessed be her memory, came because his mother was a great righteous woman, and once I heard from his holy mouth a detailed explanation that his mother was a bearer of the Holy Spirit, and the matters are ancient. For all the words of our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, and the deeds we recount from him, there is nothing that does not contain profound and awe-inspiring secrets. Deep, deep, who will find it? Especially the deeds that passed on his holy seed, for his sons are in the level above sixty myriads of souls of Israel, as explained in Likutey Moharan, Part One, Siman 273, on the verse: "And the children of Rechaviah were numerous above," as explained there. And because of this, what happened to them is what happened to the place. May He have mercy on them to bring that which will be drawn upon the remaining plaque, life and length of days and years upon them and their seed until the end of all generations. Amen and Amen.

15

After the Torah spoke about the nine rectifications mentioned earlier, it elaborates greatly on the virtue of the Land of Israel, which is the essence of victory in war. The merit of entering the Land of Israel is crucial for achieving victory in battle. Specifically, the Torah emphasizes that the virtue of the Land of Israel is central to understanding the beginning of the Torah, as it starts immediately with the discussion of the Land of Israel. It said, "Whoever wants to be a Jew," meaning one can only elevate from level to level through the Land of Israel. Victory in battle is symbolized by being called a "man of war" only when one has truly succeeded in the battle. Until then, one should not boast like a braggart who only speaks of past victories. After that, the Torah began to speak about the soul, and became very excited, raising his voice and declaring that there is a soul, as described in the book. His writing begins immediately with the soul, but his speech began with the Land of Israel. After completing the Torah, I asked him what he meant by saying that the Land of Israel is so great and that this is the essence of victory in war. He rebuked me and said that his intention was simply that the Land of Israel, with all its homes and dwellings, is where every Jew who wants to truly be an Israelite should go, despite many obstacles. One must overcome all obstacles to come there, as this is the essence of victory in war, achieved by coming to the Land of Israel. This deeply inspired and strengthened me to overcome all the many obstacles that I had without measure, to break through them all and go to the Land of Israel. Blessed be the Name that helped me break through obstacles, confusion, and delays like these, and to arrive there in peace and return in peace.

When the Torah began discussing the nine rectifications mentioned earlier, on Rosh Hashanah between the suns, as it always does, meaning close to the beginning of the night associated with the second day of Rosh Hashanah, and the day had already darkened, I sat very close and looked at it and saw that it spoke of the nine rectifications in very precious terms, transmitted to the elderly with very great powers, until the point of the soul, in awe, fear, trembling, and sweat that cannot be imagined. He held his beard several times with great strength. It is impossible to describe this in writing, and it has already been explained elsewhere that before he pronounced the first word of the Torah, it seemed to him that his soul would depart, and so it was with the first word of the Kiddush. And with this Torah, I saw this with my own eyes, the very essence of the sacrifice of his soul that cannot be imagined.

[Relates to the previous topic, which explains that before entering the Land of Israel, one should not boast like a braggart and so forth, meaning that many sufferings and obstacles must be overcome before coming there.] Once, when our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, spoke of the very obstacles and dangers he faced in the Istambul, and how he was in great danger before coming to the Land of Israel, he answered and said to us that we could enter the Land of Israel with ease. Meaning that obstacles and dangers like those he faced would not overcome us if we truly wished to go there, and if we want, we can enter the Land of Israel with ease. However, we must certainly be willing to endure sufferings and break obstacles before coming there because the Land of Israel is one of the three things given through suffering, as explained there. And once our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, said that there are those who seem to want and yearn very much to go to the Land of Israel if they could travel there extensively, but not with suffering and pressure. In truth, this is not a complete desire. For one who truly wants to go to the Land of Israel must go also with his feet, just as it is said to Abraham, "Go for yourself" (Gen. 12:1). And see the days of Nathan [Maharana”t] in his journey to the Land of Israel. After our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, spoke about the nine rectifications mentioned earlier, he said in a spirit of lightheartedness, "Today I said about fire and water," meaning that there, he speaks of hot words like coals of fire and about opening the rock from which waters flow.

16

Regarding the encompassing lights that are explained in the Torah, in the section "Ancient of Days" (Siman 21), that everyone will receive in the future according to his labor and effort in the service of the Lord, he said that there are actions in this world that earn one the right to rise from level to level in the World to Come each time, and to achieve new encompassing lights each time. He mentioned Miriam’s issue, who was punished in her honor of Moses, and Aaron's plea: "Please, heal her now," which refers to the concept of levirate marriage. See there great wonders, as it hints at his daughter Miriam, blessed memory, who was the wife of the esteemed and righteous Rabbi Leibush of Valtzisk, blessed memory, who traveled to the Land of Israel with all his children, and as a result, his daughter also traveled to the Land of Israel. And how many years after the passing of our master, teacher, and Rabbi, blessed be his memory.

17

When it says the matter: regarding the one who blows in a pit or those who are standing outside, refer there to chapter 22 in the matter of the revelation of the secret of the voice of hevara. There, it is explained that someone who is not in the category of flesh cannot hear the voice by itself, except for the voice of hevara; see there and it is explained within the Mishnah mentioned above that if one hears the voice of a shofar and so on, and if one hears the voice of hevara and so on, and it seems difficult because the Mishnah initially mentioned those standing outside, if they hear the voice of a shofar and so on, and our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, explained there himself those standing outside who are not in the category of flesh and so on. If so, it is difficult how those who are standing outside and are not in the category of flesh can hear the voice by itself, which is in the category of the shofar's voice, and how did the Tanna say about those standing outside who are not in the category of flesh if they hear the voice of a shofar and so on. Is it not that those who are not in the category of flesh cannot hear the voice by itself and so on? However, he did not clarify the matter to explain it; he only said in his holy discussion that those who do not understand the matter mentioned above. However, from his words, it is understood that there is a matter within it. And it appears from his words that even someone who is not worthy of being close to the soul and to justify the truth in the category of flesh mentioned above, even so, if he forces himself greatly and tilts his ear well with great effort to hear the voice of the soul and the voice of the true righteous, there is also hope for him to hear the voice of sanctity by itself, only that he needs to tilt his ear well. And it is just like in the matter of the Mishnah mentioned above regarding the voice of the shofar, simply, that someone who does not blow in a pit certainly does not need to examine if he heard the voice of the shofar or if he heard the voice of hevara, for certainly he heard the voice of the shofar, as explained in the Shulchan Aruch. That only someone who blows in a pit and similarly needs to examine if he heard the voice of the shofar or if he heard the voice of hevara. Similarly, it is exactly in this matter that our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, said in the Mishnah mentioned above that someone who blows in a pit, who is placed in a pit below and blows there and groans and cries for his sins, then those who are standing outside who are not in the category of flesh, if they hear the voice of the shofar, they go out and so on, for even though they are not in the category of flesh, if they force themselves and tilt their ears well, they can hear the voice by itself as mentioned above. But someone who is worthy of being in the category of flesh does not need to examine at all, for certainly he will hear the voice of the shofar, which is the voice of sanctity by itself and understand. Thus, it seems to me that in the matter explained in the above statement that all voices are categories of intensity and so on, he said that even the voice of the clinking of the coins for giving charity is also a category of intensity of sanctity and so on.

18

The lesson "Emtsa'uta de-‘Olam" (The Centrality of the World) in chapter 24 was said in the summer of 1663 during a Sabbath evening meal. He said it with great awe and with immense and exalted fervor to such an extent that those listening could not understand at all what he was saying; it was only written afterwards in his handwriting and in his holy language.

19

Regarding the lesson "Achvei Lan Mana" (Show us something), in chapter 25. It was heard from his holy mouth the explanation of the aforementioned statement, which speaks there from level to level, in which the obstacles of the Sitra Achra (Other Side) intensify each time and so on. And he then explicitly said that even someone who is within the earth, truly, when he is aroused to ascend from there, it is imperative that he go from level to level, and then he will face obstacles against him each time and so on, as explained there in the aforementioned statement.

20

The Torah, "Whoever goes to marry a woman" in chapter 29, was taught in 1806. And at that time, he wore white garments for the first time, and thus he was included in the Torah as a consideration of white garments; see there. And also, a certain individual brought his virgin daughter, who was afflicted with a dangerous illness, and he also brought wine and so on, and all this was included there; see there and so on. And there were also several wondrous things that we saw with our own eyes which were included in this Torah apart from the hidden aspects, as its essential intent in general and in detail is unattainable. He also said that this Torah stands on the aspect of refining, for it speaks there about money and wealth, which pertains to the general refinement of commerce. And it also speaks there about the refinement of speech through the praise of the righteous and white garments, and this: “Silver is chosen for the language of the righteous.” The end letters spell “Frank.” At that time, when our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, said the above statement, it was to a wealthy man among our Rabbi's people, may his memory be for a blessing, involved in a business with nobles in Venice from the mighty men of the Kaiser [the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire], that is, he had provided them with flour, but it was not accepted favorably in their eyes, and the nobles wished to endanger him with life-threatening dangers, apart from the risk of wealth. And at the time when our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, said the above statement, it entered deeply into his heart, what is explained there, that through the praise of the righteous, the speech is heard and accepted, for this is its entire purpose, that his words and arguments should be heard and accepted before the nobles. And immediately after the oaths, he traveled to Venice and throughout the journey only spoke of the praises of our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing. And similarly, when he arrived in Venice, he spoke extensively to the innkeeper about the praises of our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing. For truly, all of our Rabbi's people, may his memory be for a blessing, even those who own simple houses, spoke of many stories and praises of our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, to no end. And immediately thereafter, he entered before the nobles and presented all his arguments and claims before them, and his words were accepted in their ears, and they honored him greatly and he was saved from all the aforementioned dangers and went out safely from the aforementioned business as was appropriate.

21

At the time when the Torah was taught on the Sabbath of Hanukkah, 5567 (1807), during the third meal of the Sabbath. The Torah began with the verse “And it came to pass after” but did not finish explaining the interpretation of the verse or how this Torah relates to the verse. And after the Sabbath, at the conclusion of Havdalah, he spoke with us and said that if he had wanted to finish the Torah on this verse, he would have needed to say again a Torah like the one he had mentioned. And afterwards, he said, “I now seem to be like someone whom they decree to be punished in the four corners of the city,” and we did not understand his words at all. At that moment, I recalled that this Torah alludes somewhat to the aforementioned Torah. For it explains there that it is necessary to cut off the kingdom, which is in the aspect of Dalet from the four kingdoms of the other side, in the aspect of cutting it into four. And it is possible that he hinted somewhat in his words, may his memory be for a blessing, to the matter that one must endure suffering four times in order to cut off the aforementioned Dalet from the four kingdoms, and so forth.

22

Once I spoke with him about the Torah, "And you will be to Me a kingdom of priests," lesson 34, the speaker from the point that is in the level of tzaddik and so on, and he told me that through this Torah one can see all the tzaddikim of the generation, their essence, level, and rank.

23

The saying that awakens at night, chapter 52. It was said in the year 5563 regarding the aspect of those who do His word to hear the voice of His word. For our teacher, Rabbi Nathan, may his memory be a blessing, fulfilled this matter from the beginning with the knowledge of his soul. And on that same day, our master, teacher, and rabbi, may his memory be a blessing, came and intended with his holy, awesome, and most wondrous spirit and revealed to him this matter. And our master, Rabbi Nathan, may his memory be a blessing, upon hearing how this matter was revealed to him, said that it was done with the knowledge of his soul, and what one attains through this, and also from the very essence of his feeling in the delight of these holy words, his physicality was nullified and he cried out loudly, saying, “Woe! Let us run in the marketplaces and streets and I will cry out, ‘Ah! What are they thinking about themselves.’” And from the great flame of his heart, until he really transcended human boundaries, he truly wished to run and cry out as stated. And immediately, our master, teacher, and rabbi, may his memory be a blessing, seized him by his garments and said to him, "Stop! For it will have no effect at all."

24

Once, my colleague Rabbi Naftali and I went to him [the tzaddik] around Shavuot 1765. He told us that he does not know anything at all. He said only this: that at certain times, due to the evil of gossip in the world, the tzaddikim are unable to be humble, as explained in section 167, and beyond this, he does not know. He explained that just as you do not know, so I really do not know anything at all now.

He said that now he conducts himself in simplicity: he stands in the morning and prays his prayers, then he studies a bit, and afterwards recites Tehillim, then he eats his meal and allows himself to sleep a bit, and then he stands and explains his conversation a bit before the Blessed Name, with mercy and supplications. And I have compassion for myself. These words, which he spoke with genuine compassion for himself, were said with sincerity and a broken heart, to the extent that anyone who heard these words saw and understood the magnitude of the compassion he had for himself, as if he were entirely distant from the Blessed Name, G-d forbid.

He then told us that he dreamed of Shavuot and that we were all gathered with him as we do every year for Shavuot. He was unable to teach Torah at all and was demeaning and rebuking us greatly, saying that everything was because of our own dullness and so forth. He could not teach Torah [as we explain that the Torah of the tzaddik becomes from the people who come and gather with him]. He rebuked us greatly, and through this, we all were aroused to great repentance. Afterwards, he spoke about wondrous and awesome Torah. And the meaning of his words was that it was revealed to him in the dream also about the Torah he spoke then.

Later, we were with him on Shavuot, and he said then a wondrous Torah on the verse and on the Day of the First Fruits in section 56, which begins: "For each and every one of Israel, there is a dimension of kingship." After he said the above Torah, he spoke there about the aspect of kingship that is within each and every one of Israel and so forth, and there is kingship in both revealed and concealed aspects. There is one who, even though in the revealed aspect he has no dominion, yet in the concealed aspect, he does have. Afterwards, he explicitly said about himself: ‘It seems to you that I have no dominion except over you. In truth, I rule even over all the tzaddikim of the generation, only it is in the concealed aspect.’

After he spoke about the above matter, at the end of the Torah, he discussed the ways of G-d that cannot be understood, as they are aspects of these and those are the words of the living G-d, and even though this tzaddik has a halacha like him, and that tzaddik has no halacha like him, nonetheless these and those are the words of the living G-d. And this matter is impossible to understand at all because they are aspects of thunder and so forth. Later at night, he spoke a bit about this in his holy conversation with the world, and said that even though there is an answer in the books of Kabbalists to this difficulty and similar to it, that they want to explain that this one is lenient and that one is stringent, this one is from kindness and that one is from severity, etc., nonetheless, our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, said that these answers are of no use to someone who understands a bit. And he said in this language: ‘Let one gird his loins to provide an answer to this difficulty before me. For in truth, it is no answer at all, because this one says that the matter is permissible and allowed to eat, and that one says the opposite, that it is forbidden to eat. How can it be understood intellectually that the words of both are true, after each one states the law contrary to his friend?’

And his intention was that the answers to such difficulties are really worthless. Not to mention the answers in the books of scholars, which certainly have no value, as explained in our words elsewhere that due to this, our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, forbade even looking at books of scholars who bring strong and great difficulties on the ways of the Blessed Name, and they elaborate on their difficulties and then seek to answer them, and the answer is very weak and easily refuted. Therefore, anyone who examines them and wants to answer the difficulties through intellect will come to great heresy, because he will understand afterward that the answer is worthless and remains with the difficulty. Thus, it is forbidden to examine them at all; rather, one should rely solely on faith.

And when someone, G-d forbid, has in his mind a certain difficulty in these matters, he needs to know that it is impossible to resolve it because we cannot understand or grasp with our human intellect the ways of G-d, etc. We must rely solely on faith, believing that certainly everything is true and straight, only that with our intellect, it is impossible to understand the ways of the Blessed Name, as our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, explains at length. Even a little of the answers brought in the books of Kabbalists, who were righteous, holy, and spiritually enlightened, nonetheless it is impossible to resolve the difficulties with answers as they seem, and the answer remains above, and we only need to rely on faith.

And so for other difficulties like knowledge and free will, as brought also, that they want to explain them, and anyone who has eyes will see that it is impossible to understand the answer at all with our intellect. Therefore, we should not delve into these matters at all to resolve such difficulties. And so for the difficulty mentioned in the "Etz Chaim" at its beginning, that the author of "Shaarei Gan Eden" wants to resolve it, and anyone who has intellect will see that the answer is not worth anything at all because, in the end, it concludes that it is forbidden to ponder above. Therefore, it is good to resolve the difficulty at the beginning with this answer, that it is forbidden to ponder at all what is before and what is behind, and why we need to delve into such investigations of the world of chaos. In the end, they will not resolve anything at all, and who knows if they will return in peace. It is better to remain immediately with faith alone, for such inquiries as knowledge and free will, and similar to them, are impossible to resolve with human intellect at all, and it is forbidden to delve into them at all; rather, we need to know that it is impossible to resolve them with human intellect, only to rely solely on faith, for the heavens are higher than the earth, so are the ways of G-d higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts.

And see the wonders in the words of our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, in section 21 about the statement of our Rabbis, blessed be their memory, about the future to come, that the tzaddikim will sit, etc., which explains there how these confusions are drawn from the surrounding intellect, which it is impossible to grasp now in any way. And similarly in the Torah "Bo El Paro" in section 84, which explains there that there are difficulties drawn from the empty space, which it is impossible to find intellect to resolve them in any way, even in the ways of the true Kabbalists; one should only rely on faith. Fortunate is the one who merits this.

25

Pertaining to the essay "Patach Rabbi Shimon" (Likutei Moharan #60): After Rabbeinu of blessed memory said this speech he said plainly, "Today I have said three things contrary to what the world says:
1) The world says that telling stories induces sleep; but I said that by story tales we awaken people from their sleep.
2) The world says that from talking words no one conceives [a child]; but I said that by the Tzadik’s telling of words, through which he arouses people from their sleep, conception comes to barren women.
3) The world says that the true Tzadik of towering stature does not need much money, because why should he need money? But I said that there is such a contemplative understanding [of the Torah] for which one needs all the fortune of the world."

[Copyist's note:] I heard from one prominent follower of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, that he heard from his holy mouth regarding his will being that they print the Story Tales also in the Yiddish language that we speak; and he said at that time that it can easily happen that a woman who is barren would read some story from them and thereby conceive for goodly offspring and be privileged to have children; this is the extent of what I heard. [And there is support for this from what is explained in that aforementioned essay, that via these story tales a barren woman becomes impregnated.]

26

In the winter of the year 1805, our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, traveled to Medvedevka to spend the Sabbath Shirah there, to teach Torah as was his custom. At that time, his daughter Chaya, who was then in the holy community mentioned, was ill with an affliction of the eyes, a condition known as "bilma" or "yabelot," and was nearly blind. When our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, came to Medvedevka, it was known to him, and he said then the Torah and referred to the holy Zohar saying, "Ulimta shafirta d'leit la ayin," which is explained in Likutei A, section 62, that the sickness was healed by this.

When he arrived at his home, he related to me this event itself and I understood from his holy movements that this matter was of great importance and wonder, as it continued to bring healing through his holy Torah words, because everything that happens to the holy seed affects even from afar. For everything that happens to a person has many hidden aspects, for nothing happens in vain, God forbid, and the greater the spiritual level of the individual, the more distant the impact of their experiences. However, the holy seed, with its immense power and high status, affects to an even greater extent, as explained elsewhere, and everything that happened to them involved great struggles because the effect extends very far.

27

The Torah in section 63, starting with the secret of the intention of the word, was mentioned in the morning before the Shabbat meal, close to the circumcision of his holy son, Shlomo Ephraim, blessed be his memory, in the year 1805, near the beginning of the month of Nissan. And after they had left, the multitude of people who came to greet him as was the custom called "Shalom Zachar," the event happened as follows: After the crowd had left, we remained standing before him, and then he looked at my shoe, which had been very bent, meaning that the sole of the shoe was much deformed before him. He replied and said, "Your shoe looks like one that has been worn on the face [of the shoe]." And then he was silent for a while, and we certainly believed that all his words were not simple and undoubtedly contained great secrets, as explained in section 42. Then he answered and said that our ordinary conversations and the term “our” in it referred to the subject of the intention of the circumcision and what is higher than the intentions. He began to elaborate on the holy and wonderful words, saying, "There is, and he tapped his face," and "There is, and he tapped with his sandal," and he mentioned a saying from our sages, blessed be their memory, regarding the subject of the sandal and its significance, and also mentioned what our sages said, blessed be their memory, regarding "Drusat Ish" and how humility follows from it. In all these matters, there is an allusion to the secrets of the Torah regarding the heel and the sandal and regarding tapping on the face, which he mentioned. All this pertains to the subject of the blemish of the covenant and its rectification, as everything is related to the circumcision, which is the rectification of the covenant, as understood from all the above for the discerning mind. And after that, he answered and said that all the Torah explained in the aforementioned section still does not reveal how much we know. Also, the Torah mentioned does not explain the connection of the subjects; it is all in the form of hints and allusions, and we saw with our own eyes the mighty works of the Creator, blessed be He, in how in the words of the true righteous ones, secrets like these are clothed. And may the blessed name show us wonders, that we may merit to understand all this completely.

[The scribe said: I heard that after our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, mentioned the secret of the intention of the circumcision in the aforementioned manner, some of our people asked him some questions about this statement, because some things were not understood clearly there and the connection of the statement was not entirely clear. He replied to them that it was not their fault that they did not have understanding and knowledge in delicate and spiritual matters.]

28

The statement “And he said to Ruth” in section 65, was said in the summer of 1806, close to the passing of his holy and awesome son, our teacher Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim, blessed be his memory. And then stood before him our teacher Rabbi Nathan, blessed be his memory, together with another one on the platform that was for our teacher and Rabbi, blessed be his memory, at his home. And our teacher, blessed be his memory, spoke to them about the great suffering and afflictions he had endured from all sides and extended greatly on this matter because he was filled with many and severe sufferings both at home and outside at all times. And in his words, he answered and said, "What do you know about the greatness and severity of this break in the world, regarding the departure of the child mentioned? My whole heart was broken and torn from its place." And the holy tears began to flow down his cheeks, and immediately the sense of embarrassment that fell upon them, seeing his crying before them, made it seem to them as if the whole world had turned upside down and was destroyed. And it is already explained elsewhere, in a hint, about the great hope that it would have been appropriate to be included in Israel if the holy child had not passed away. And afterward, on the day following, which was Friday, the holy Sabbath eve, he said to them that if they had not gone down immediately, he would have told them something very beautiful. And on that day, he said to them that the statement “And he said to Ruth” discusses the rectification of souls and what is greatly needed for the owner of the field, to oversee them and correct them. And that which girds his loins to be the master of the field, endures many afflictions without measure, God have mercy. And he, with his great power, surpasses all of them and performs the tasks of the field as needed. See there in this statement, and this was related to the story of the afflictions he told them about on the day before, as mentioned.

29

This pertains to the statement regarding the prohibition of theft, chapter 69. At the time when our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, mentioned the above statement, a wealthy man stood before him who had no children. After a few days, the wealthy man implored our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, to pray for him to have children. Our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, replied that he had already told him Torah on Rosh Hashanah and that the wealthy man did not understand his intention. It was later revealed that his intention was that in Breslov, there was a man who had lost his possessions, and the wealthy man had been very envious of him because he had risen and became very wealthy. This was not a long time ago when he was in partnership with him and had much more money than the aforementioned wealthy man, but eventually, he fell from his status to such an extent that he had a great envy of the wealthy man. Also, he took a loan from him and did not repay it. Our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, hinted to the wealthy man that because of this, he would not have children, as explained well in the aforementioned statement. However, the statement explains that sometimes a person becomes greatly consumed with envy and desire for his friend's money to the extent that he even takes his wife from him. And so it happened that after our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, passed away, he commanded his followers to tell the wealthy man to divorce his wife and marry another and have children. And so he did, divorcing his wife after the passing of our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, for several years. During this time, his wife passed away, and then this man took the wealthy man's wife, and all the words of our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, mentioned in the aforementioned statement were fulfilled. The wealthy man then took another wife and had children with her, and regarding the wealthy man, there is much more to tell, but this is not the place.

30

At the time he traveled to the Land of Israel, at the beginning of his journey from his home, he stopped at the Skalyeh community and there he saw the renowned tzaddik, our teacher Rabbi Menachem Mendil, may his memory be a blessing, from Vitebsk, who had passed away in the Land of Israel, as was well known. He revealed to him that there, the name "Atah" (You) is a has supernatural power over the sea, as mentioned in Likutei Moharan #256, as written: "When the waves rise, You praise them."

31

When the Torah, printed in Likutei Moharan #272, spoke about the verse: "My cry was in tears; I have endured" (Job 30:16), that the renewal of Torah teachings requires tears, he said about himself that whenever he renewed Torah teachings, he cried beforehand. Also, at that time, we saw this matter with our own eyes, for at that time the Torah said, "And Boaz said to Ruth," on the day of Vav (Friday) before Shabbat Kodesh, Summer 5466. Before this, the Torah said, "Know that there is a long face in the Kelipot and so on," in sign 242, and on the Thursday before, he cried before us, and then on the Shabbat after, he said the above matter about the verse: "My cry was in tears; I have endured." There is much to say about this matter, as all of this was close to the passing of his son, Shlomo Ephraim, may his memory be a blessing, and it will be explained elsewhere with God's help.

32

Regarding the matter printed in his holy books in signs 57 and 277 about the sanctity of eating Shabbat, which is entirely holy and ascends to another place completely, he spoke to us much about this and warned us to eat on Shabbat and to rejoice, as the Torah warned: "Eat it today, for today is Shabbat," and it was also said that "The children eat" [as already said, "The children eat"]. Afterward, he also said that this cannot be fulfilled.

33

When our teacher, Rabbi Nachman of blessed memory, traveled to Lvov after Sukkot in the year 5568 (1807), he traveled via Krasne and stayed there overnight. The next morning, he left suddenly, and we chased after him until we caught up with him near a bridge. Someone got there before us and delayed him, so I and my friend, Rabbi Naftali, arrived and managed to spend some time with him. He asked, "What do you want? Should I bless you, or should I tell you some Torah?" He gave us the choice. I responded and said, "Bless us when you return safely from Lvov, but now, please share some Torah." He answered and said, "The beginning is from my journey," and he spoke to us about the Mishkan (Tabernacle), which each of the tzaddikim builds, as it is written in Torah 282 of Likutey Moharan in the teaching Azamra L’Elokai B’Odi ("I will sing to my God with what is left of me"). He had delivered the Torah Azamra on Shemini Atzeret that year.

Then, on the wagon, he began speaking about a matter connected to the teaching Azamra that begins with "And know that whoever can make these melodies"—all the way to "the cantor sees where the children are reading." Afterward, we kissed his hand, and he immediately instructed the wagon driver to move on, and they left in peace. To this day, we still don’t know how the matter of his journey to Lvov is hinted at in this Torah. During that year, the book Likutey Moharan was printed, and there is much more to tell about the wondrous kindnesses of Hashem that He performed with me at that time. He orchestrated events in His mercy, such that I returned from Tulchin between Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Because of this, I merited completing the writing of the book that had been burned and delivering it to him. As a result, Likutey Moharan was printed that year. I also had the opportunity to speak with him extensively and to hear many wondrous teachings from him that are a merit for the public for generations to come. What can I offer to Hashem for all His kindness to me? May it be explained elsewhere.

34

Someone asked him on the last Erev Rosh Hashanah in Uman, shortly before his passing, for advice on how to maintain spiritual dedication. He replied, "Do not speak negatively about any Jew, for every Jew has a letter in the Torah. When you speak negatively about someone, you distance yourself from the Torah because you are, in effect, blemishing a letter of the Torah, which is the root of the soul of the person you are speaking about, as explained elsewhere."

The person then asked, "But what if the person is clearly a completely wicked individual?" Rabbi Nachman sternly rebuked him, saying, "How can you say that about a Jew? Surely, there is some bit of good within him, or some point of goodness, and in that aspect, he is not a wicked person." He then referred to the teaching from Azamra, "And soon the wicked will be no more," as explained in Torah Azamra L’Elokai B’Odi (Likutey Moharan 282).

35

There was a man who, during his youth in Breslov, became deeply attached to our teacher, Rabbi Nachman, with great yearning. At that time, he heard wonderful words of Torah from Rabbi Nachman, specifically the Torah beginning with "A praise of David," as well as other wondrous teachings. Rabbi Nachman then told him, "I know that in the coming days you will not travel to be with me, and you will not remain among those close to me" (and indeed, it turned out that afterward, this man did not return to be with Rabbi Nachman). "Nevertheless," Rabbi Nachman said, "what you have tasted of my words will still benefit you." He then cited the verse: "She tastes that her merchandise is good" (Proverbs 31:18). Once someone has tasted the Torah of the tzaddik, the verse continues, "Her light will not be extinguished at night," which is found in Likutey Moharan 1, Torah 285.

36

A man from among our people told me that when our Rebbe, may his memory be a blessing, taught the Torah portion "Trust in the Lord" (Siman 79), at that time, he was walking in his house back and forth, as was his custom, holding a staff in his hand. He said, "And the staff of God is in my hand." He emphasized and drew out the word "in my hand," as if to say that the staff of God was in his hand to direct as he wished. This is hinted at in the Torah mentioned above, where the staff of God symbolizes free will, which corresponds to the concept of Metatron, who has two sides: life and death, as explained in the Tikkunim and in the Torah above. From his holy words, it is somewhat hinted and understood that he glorified the fact that he had merited to conquer free will, having the staff in his hand to direct it as he wished. Fortunate is the one who achieves this; fortunate is he. See the Torah above, where it is explained regarding the verse "And the staff of God is in my hand" that this represents having already conquered free will, attaining a state of rest, a Shabbat-like peace, and possessing the ability to transform evil into good. For the one who has reached this level has already ceased from evil, which is entirely nullified in this righteous person who has attained this degree.

37

[Written by our Rebbe, may his memory be a blessing, himself]: Whoever wishes to return to God, blessed be He, must surely make himself into a new creation. Know that by a sigh, one makes himself into a new creation. A person never ceases from breathing, for at all times, one exhales and inhales, and this is the essence of his vitality. This breath has a root above. There is a good breath, which comes from the righteous, and there is a bad breath, which comes from the wicked. The righteous constantly draw their breath from holiness, while the wicked draw their breath from impurity. Therefore, when a person wants to repent, he must ensure that the bad breath no longer enters him. Thus, he should sigh deeply, and the sigh lengthens the breath both in its entry and its exit, drawing the breath with an added force. This addition is like the verse "You gather their spirit, they perish," similar to death. Just as before death, the spirit is gathered within a person, and afterward, the spirit leaves him, so too, when one sighs, the breath gathers within and then stops. This means that one releases oneself from the line of impure breath and connects to the line of pure breath, receiving life and vitality from the pure breath. Thus, through a sigh of regret over one's sins, one releases himself from the root of impurity and connects to the root of holiness. This is the essence of repentance, returning from impurity to holiness. As a result, one receives new vitality, and even the body becomes renewed. Our Sages, may their memory be a blessing, said: "A sigh breaks a person's entire body," meaning that it creates a new body. This is the meaning of "There is a breath that is made on the earth," which refers to the fact that there are righteous individuals who perform great sins due to this breath. That is, they err in their earlier deeds and sigh over their good actions. Through their sighs, they disconnect from the root of pure breath and connect to the impure breath, and this breath causes them to sin. The same principle applies in the reverse: when the wicked perform great mitzvot, similar to the deeds of the righteous, it is also due to the breath. That is, through their sighs of regret over their evil deeds, they connect to the good breath, as we wrote earlier. [Until here is the language of our Rebbe, word for word, from what he wrote in his youth.]

38

He said that it is not as some people claim, that if a righteous person humbles himself before his fellow, it means that his fellow must be greater than him. For why else would he not do the opposite? Rather, they say that his fellow must certainly be greater than him. But in truth, this is not so, for it is possible that the one who humbles himself is more humble, and therefore it is possible that the one who submits before his fellow is much greater than the one to whom he submits. He said that in truth, if the world were governed by truth and order as it should be, it would certainly be fitting that the lesser should always be nullified before the greater. This is how it ought to be, for smallness is naturally nullified before greatness. However, the world does not function according to truth because, in our many sins, truth is absent. Due to the lack of truth in the world, it is possible, even among the most complete tzaddikim, that one may humble himself before another, and in reality, the one who submits is greater than the other. At that time, I heard from his holy mouth the Torah on the verse "For I will take a time, I will judge with fairness" (Siman 135), which speaks of the concept of smallness being nullified before greatness.

39

What was printed in the first book, in Siman 141, “את לבבך ואת לבב” ("Et levavecha ve'et levav") — the initial letters of “Elul.” I heard this from his holy mouth on Rosh Chodesh Elul. And this is how the event transpired: Our Rebbe, of blessed memory, was walking with me outside near the synagogue, back and forth as was his custom, and he spoke with me and asked if I had experienced fear on this Rosh Chodesh Elul. He told me that a great and awesome fear had fallen upon him when he heard the sound of the shofar on that day when they began to blow it, as it gripped him with great dread and trembling.

Afterward, he told me the aforementioned matter that is printed: "Et levavecha ve'et levav," the initial letters of "Elul." The matter is that when a person merits to truly feel in their heart the pain of their sins, then all the "hearts" of the drops that were drawn from him must feel their pain and suffering, and wherever those drops went — whether they became actual children or, God forbid, otherwise — as explained there. In every place they are, the hearts of those drops must feel the great pain and suffering when their father's heart is awakened, and he feels deeply the pain of his sins, as explained there. Look there for more details.

And he said, "I felt this today because today a great trembling and fear gripped me when I heard the sound of the shofar." Afterward, my daughter Adl came to me and said, "Father, my flesh trembled, and my heart was filled with dread from the sound of the shofar I just heard." I saw that when the father's heart is awakened, the hearts of the drops drawn from him — whether his actual children or, God forbid, otherwise — also awaken in every place they are. Their hearts must feel and be awakened, as explained, when their father's heart is stirred, and he deeply feels his pain in truth.

40

Someone asked him if it is possible for a tzaddik (righteous person) to be great in spiritual stature even though we don’t see from him great efforts or deeds in public, like another tzaddik who is seen performing holy deeds publicly, praying with great effort, etc. He answered that it is certainly possible and that it could be that the tzaddik who hides himself and does not show public deeds is actually greater in spiritual stature than the tzaddik who is public. For there are two names, the Name of Havayah and the Name of Adonai, and the Name of Havayah is hidden and concealed, as it is forbidden to pronounce it, whereas the Name of Adonai is revealed. Certainly, the Name of Havayah is much greater than the Name of Adonai. Then he discussed the matter of all the holy songs as printed in Likutei I, in Siman 243.

41

Before he said the great teaching "Tiku Emunah" in Likutei Tinyana, Siman 5, on Rosh Hashanah in the year 5570 (1810), he spoke with us before that Rosh Hashanah and told us that many people came to him with great complaints about their lack of faith. Some of them were sick and also complained to him about their lack of faith. Afterward, he taught the aforementioned lesson, which discusses all of this.

Also, before that Rosh Hashanah, while returning from a walk, he spoke with us about the protectors of the land, as that elderly man referred to us, and this is also mentioned in that lesson. Look there in Ot 7.

At that time, I saw from afar the wonders of Hashem, which I still am far from grasping even a small part of. Also, on Rosh Hashanah, before he taught the aforementioned lesson, he went to perform the Tashlich ritual and fell into the mud. Later, this was incorporated into the lesson in a wondrous way that has never been heard of before. Look there in Ot 15 and what is brought there, that one must roll in all kinds of mud and mire to bring satisfaction to their Father in Heaven, and what one merits through this. Look there.

After Rosh Hashanah, he told of a man who passed away and came to him, and he raised himself up to the sun, as explained elsewhere.

42

The words written after the Torah "And it came to pass at the end..." because He leads them with mercy (as mentioned in Likutei Tenyana section 7, beginning "And this is the aspect of the burial of Moses," etc.), these are the words that our teacher, Rabbi Nachman of blessed memory, spoke before certain "people of three meals" (anshei shalosh seudot). That is, before the higher ones. Because there are other "people of three meals" before whom he also gives teachings. It is understood from his words that at the time he says a Torah in front of us, those who stand there, before whom he also teaches from that same Torah, stand there too. But certainly, the Torah he teaches them is on a much higher level, and only a very small portion of those matters he hinted to us in the form of vague allusions, without clarifying them at all. And these are the matters written there after the aforementioned Torah.

43

In the Torah "Sound rebuke" (Tiku Tochacha), in Likutei Tenyana section 8, it is mentioned the great and tremendous merit when one merits that an additional soul is added to the holy assembly of Israel. Through this, the houses of prayer are multiplied into thousands upon thousands and tens of thousands, beyond what the mouth can speak or the heart can comprehend. For it is written in the Sefer Yetzirah: "Two stones build two houses; three stones build six houses; four, twenty-four houses; five, five hundred and twenty; six, seven hundred and twenty," etc. (See there for details).

Here, I will clarify the principle so that you may understand the calculation of the essence of the multitude of houses with precision. You will come to appreciate the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, and the immense value of the assembly of Israel, how many and how numerous the houses become without limit and measure when a single soul is added to the holy assembly of Israel. Each time one stone (i.e., letter) is added, the number of houses multiplies according to the doubled number of all the previous houses built from the prior stones.

For example, initially, there were two stones, and two houses were built from them. From a combination of two letters, only two arrangements can be made, such as AB and BA. But when a third stone, i.e., letter, is added, and a combination of three letters is made, like ABC, then the houses increase according to the number of arrangements of those three stones. The number of arrangements is multiplied by the two houses already in existence, resulting in three times two, which equals six. Therefore, three stones build six houses.

Section 43

In the Torah lesson "Tiku Tochacha," in Likutei Tinyana (Part 2), Section 8, it discusses the tremendous value when one merits to add even a single soul to the holy gathering of Israel. Through this, the number of spiritual "houses" of prayer multiplies by thousands upon thousands in a way that is beyond speech or thought to express. As mentioned in Sefer Yetzirah: "Two stones build two houses; three stones build six houses; four stones build 24 houses; five build 120; six build 720," and so on. Refer there for further details.

I will now explain the fundamental principle behind this concept so that you can understand the calculation of the increase in the number of spiritual houses clearly, and through this, grasp the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, and the value of the gathering of Israel. Each time one soul is added to the holy assembly, the multiplication of houses is vast beyond measure.

For example, initially, with two stones, two houses are built, because from two letters, only two combinations are possible—such as "AB" and "BA." When a third letter is added, such as "G," the number of houses multiplies by the number of stones (which is now three) and the number of combinations of the previous stones (two), resulting in six houses: "ABG," "AGB," "BAG," etc. Thus, three stones build six houses.

When a fourth letter is added, such as "D," the houses increase by four times the previous six, resulting in 24 houses. Adding a fifth letter results in 120 houses, and so forth, with each additional letter exponentially increasing the number of combinations (or houses) according to the combinations of the previous stones.

This principle extends indefinitely: the addition of each letter (or stone) exponentially increases the number of houses. This relates to the souls added to the holy gathering of Israel. As each soul is added, the number of spiritual "houses" increases in a similarly exponential fashion. You can refer to the Pardes for more clarification on this matter.

Understanding this principle will help clarify the nature of these spiritual combinations, though it’s not necessary to elaborate further here. From this, you can understand how the addition of one soul to the holy gathering of Israel exponentially increases the "houses" of prayer, and the vast impact of this multiplication.

In summary, from just thirteen stones (or letters), the number of houses grows to over 6,272,720,000, and the numbers continue growing exponentially from there. With this method, you can continue calculating indefinitely. Understand well the immense value when one additional stone, i.e., one additional soul, is added to the gathering of souls already present.

The Creator, blessed be He, should grant us the joy of these houses, as it is said: "I will bring them to rejoice in My house of prayer" (Isaiah 56:7), as understood in the aforementioned Torah teaching. Fortunate is one who merits this.

The calculation continues through a combination of multiplying stones and spiritual houses, reaching incredibly vast and incomprehensible numbers, as explained further in the commentary of Rashi and Tosafot. The numbers become so large that even if one lived for fifteen thousand years, it would be impossible to fully count them. The calculation involves multiplying the number of mitzvot and their combinations, reaching the incomprehensible vastness of spiritual merit.

Now come and see and understand that after all these vast calculations of spiritual covenants (bonds made through the fulfillment of each mitzvah), one soul added to the holy gathering magnifies this spiritual impact immensely beyond measure.

And all is by the power of the true tzaddikim, who are exceedingly elevated in stature, and who involve themselves with the holy houses of the souls of Israel, which are like the neighbors that are added to the assembly, as explained regarding the verse: 'And the neighbor shall not say, I am sick' (Likutey Tinyana, Siman 8). Look there closely. Pay close attention, reflect, and pray, so that the hairs on your head stand on end, and your knees knock together out of awe for the greatness of the Creator of the universe, and out of reverence for the greatness of the holy and true tzaddikim. How great is the merit of one who takes shelter under their wings and is counted among the benefactors of the people of Hashem in their assembly. And all the more so, how great is the merit of one who succeeds in speaking with a fellow in fear of Heaven, until he brings him to action, engaging in Torah and prayer with sincerity and truth, and thus increasing the number of those who join the holy assembly. Happy are they, how fortunate is their portion. 'No eye has seen, O God, but Yours, what You will do for those who await You' (Isaiah 64:3).

From this, you can understand what our sages of blessed memory said in the Mishnah: 'In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will give each and every tzaddik 310 worlds.' This matter is beyond human comprehension—how thousands upon thousands and tens of thousands of worlds will multiply to the extent that each tzaddik will receive 310 worlds. For certainly, since the beginning of time until the end, many righteous ones have existed, as it is written: 'I will count them, they will be more numerous than the sand' (Psalms 139:18), and it is also written: 'Your people are all righteous' (Isaiah 60:21), for indeed, all of Israel will be purified and be included among the righteous. But according to the aforementioned calculation of the number of holy houses created through the assembly of Israel, and with every additional neighbor added to the assembly, many more worlds will be created, countless in number. Even though in each world there are certainly thousands upon thousands and tens of thousands of houses, nevertheless, the number of houses, through these combinations, from a hundred souls, or a thousand, or more, ascends beyond measure, beyond what words can describe or the heart can comprehend. Until, from them, 310 worlds will be created for each and every tzaddik, and in every world, there will be thousands upon thousands and tens of thousands of houses. Pay close attention to all this and understand it well, for to a person of understanding, this knowledge is not difficult. The main point is to be sincere and true.

[This teaching, our teacher (Rabbi Nachman) of blessed memory, gave on the last Rosh Hashanah of his life, as he passed away during the intermediate days of Sukkot that followed. And this teaching was the last of his holy life. He also spoke there about the matter of reproof, for the main reproof from great tzaddikim comes near their death, as Rashi explains on the verse 'These are the words' (Deuteronomy 1:1), etc. There, too, he discusses the war against Og, which corresponds to 'These are the words that Moses spoke' after he had defeated Sihon and Og.]

[And know, my brother the one studying this, that regarding the new song that will arise in the future, as explained in this discourse—that it is like the voice that waters the garden where all the fragrances and awe grow—this corresponds to the voice of the reproof that adds good fragrance to the souls of Israel who hear his reproof. This is in the aspect of the Mashiach, as explained in the verse: 'And he was conscripted for forced labor' (I Kings 9:21). There are in all these matters deep and lofty secrets, hidden and wondrous mysteries, as is understood from his holy hints when he mentioned the verse: 'Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer' (Ruth 4:14), etc. I heard that from his holy movements and the sweetness of his voice and melody when he recited this verse, it seemed as though he, too, was offering praise and thanks to Hashem for giving them such a redeemer to engage in the rectification and redemption of their souls and to draw down the spirit of Mashiach through such wondrous and awesome rectifications. On that Rosh Hashanah, he also spoke about the melody and song that will be in the World to Come for all the tzaddikim and the pious, as explained elsewhere. It was understood that this is connected to the concept of the new song, as explained in this discourse. See also more on this in the book 'Parparaot LeChokhmah' on this discourse.]

44

Regarding the matter explained in Likutei Tefilot, Section 50, that thought is in the hand of a person to grasp and direct as he wishes. Even if he inclines his thought towards other matters or, heaven forbid, towards inappropriate thoughts, he can still grasp it and return it to a better thought as he wishes, like a horse that, when it strays from the path, can be restrained with a bridle and directed back to the good path.

Tell me, is there any individual among our people who once heard our Rabbi, of blessed memory, discuss this subject and then explain it a bit further? He said that thought was created so that it would never rest, much like a perpetual motion clock that never rests. Even during sleep, thought continually thinks, but when sleep is strong on a person, he forgets what he was thinking. However, in truth, thought does not cease forever. Therefore, by diverting thought to another thought as one wishes, one can nullify and overcome all foreign thoughts, inappropriate thoughts, and confusions. The principle is that it seems to a person that it is difficult to break thoughts, inappropriate thoughts, and confusions, which is a great falsehood. In reality, thought is in the hand of a person to direct it as he wishes, as mentioned above. It is only because thought is restless and continually thinking, never resting, that it seems to him that he cannot nullify harmful thoughts. But in truth, it is within his power to direct thought from one thought to another, to grasp it and remove it from harmful thoughts to good thoughts, as mentioned above.

45

Regarding the matter of the lesson "In the beginning ... Before the eyes of all Israel." It has already been explained a bit elsewhere how it appears sensibly that this Torah was said entirely with the Holy Spirit. For it was said on the night of Shabbat Kodesh Bereshit, and at that time, no one knew of any matter from the passing of the Rabbi from Berdichev until a few days after Shabbat when the news reached here. And then we saw and understood clearly how this entire matter is hinted at and explained well within the words of the aforementioned statement.

And behold, in this statement it explains that when the righteous one, the head of the house, departed, this caused a magnification and spreading of impurity and Kedarim and so forth. And through this, fires of mercy came upon the world. All this we saw with our own eyes, that immediately after the passing of the aforementioned holy Rabbi, Kedarim were published near our places, and people traveled to them from all around, and performed many acts in the names of impurity. And similarly, several Kedarim were published in other places. Also, that year, there were great fires in the world to the extent that almost no city was spared from being burned multiple times. Even in Breslev, there were great fires several times that year, and also in the neighboring and distant towns. And in this, we saw with our own eyes how his entire Torah is completely the Holy Spirit, and we can know from it future events, as he, of blessed memory, himself said about the statement above. Also, what he said before Sukkot, that he was confident in the power of this holy Rabbi that there would be etrogim in our country, etc., is also explained in this statement at its end. Regarding the beautification of the etrogim that is drawn also from the head of the house, examining the generations from the beginning and so forth, refer there.

46

Before revealing the matter printed in LM II #68 regarding the tzaddik, that he needs to leave children and students, which pertains to the Torah “Ki merachamam yenahagem” [LM II] #7, he said that there have been many great figures who each accomplished and repaired what they repaired and then it stopped. And his meaning was regarding the illumination with which they lit up the minds of their students, drawing many men to Hashem Yitbarakh, but afterwards their illumination stopped. But we need to do something that will never stop; that these men will make other men, and they will make more men, and thus for ever.

And something similar I had already heard: that it is obligatory that our followers illuminate their friends and students. And each one is obligated to perform some action and illuminate his friend, and his friend his friend. For, the tree has branches, and out of these branches emerge more branches, and so on, etc. And his statement is already recorded elsewhere [LM #229], where he said, “My fire will burn forever without going out.” And he said it in Yiddish in these words, "Mayn fayeril vet shoyn tluen biz Mashiakh vet kumen/ My fire will burn intermittently all the way until Messiah comes!"

And the beginning of that conversation, regarding a son and pupil, began by him entering from his room [of his beit midrash] to the other room, toward his larger house, and he stood by the doorway from where he came out of his room, and found us standing before him, namely I, my friend, and his son in law Yoske a”h. And he began to speak with his son in law and said to him, “I heard that you learned today,” and he began to chide him lovingly that he should hold fast to his studies, and he said, “Isn't it good and beautiful to learn first and then afterwards go to the market to trade” etc.

And later he spoke up and said, “Don't I also learn as well? And my learning is a novelty! And he began to speak gloriously of himself, declaring, “I can learn; I can show the biggest lamdan of the biggest that he still can't learn at all and doesn't know at all. And conversely, I can show the little ones that they are close to Hashem Yitbarakh and the Torah etc.” And he entered from this conversation to that one, and revealed the whole matter stated there, regarding a son and student, that those who reside above ask specifically, "Ayeh mekom kevodo/Where is the place of his glory?" and conversely those who reside below say, "Melo khol-ha'aretz kevodo/The whole world is full of His glory;" see there and understand thoroughly. Fortunate is the time and the second when we were privileged to hear this from his holy mouth himself. If we had not come into the world except to hear this, dayenu/it would be enough. And thus regarding each and every utterance that I heard from his holy mouth. “With what shall I come before Hashem, after all he has bestowed on us? What shall I return to Hashem for all his benefits to me?”

47

The Torah printed in Likutei Tiniana in section 71 begins with "Know that there are levels of the land of Israel," and it was said on the night of Shabbat Shirah regarding the conversation that took place during the meal about the great dispute that existed then between the prominent figures concerning the currency of the land of Israel. One said to conduct oneself according to this currency, and another said otherwise. Some of them had aspects of honor, with one wanting the messenger to be with him, and another wanting the same. There is also a great dispute in the land of Israel on this matter, as known to those skilled in it, particularly to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov who was there himself. Regarding this matter, they discussed and spoke with him extensively during almost every meal of Shabbat Kodesh. Later, he spoke and said the entire fearful Torah mentioned here, that there are levels of the land of Israel, and levels of outside the land, and that the essence of the dispute is not related only to outside the land, and so on. Check there and you will see the wonders.

48

The Torah of eternal life in Likutei Tiniana, section 72, was said when a renowned righteous person, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, came to him on Shabbat Kodesh Parashat Yitro. He did not say any Torah on the night of Shabbat Kodesh nor on the day of Shabbat Kodesh. When we finished the morning meal of Shabbat and had already recited the Grace After Meals, we were about to leave the table as usual after the Grace After Meals. However, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov remained seated at his place, and we all remained sitting before him. Even the righteous one himself remained seated before him. During this time, he answered and said that when one sees oneself with the righteous one, even when Torah is not heard, it is still very good because through this one receives greatness. He began to say the Torah mentioned here in his speech, and when he entered the speaking of Torah as mentioned, he answered and said, "Is it not like this that I say Torah?" and yet, he completed all the Torah mentioned here. The principle is that many and many teachings, almost all, were said in a great miracle, as almost the world was missing from this hidden goodness, and before all the Torah, the world would have collapsed if it were not for this hidden goodness. And may the Name be blessed in His wondrous ways and great mercies, that He continually brings about good times until we merit to draw from the ever-flowing stream, and so on—all these things that we have recorded in the books. And he already explains that every word he speaks before the world is dependent on it, with all the upper and lower worlds.

49

When the Torah of "Va’etchanan" was spoken, as printed in Likutei Tiniana, section 78, it speaks about how it is forbidden to despair oneself forever, and how it should be, God forbid. He said then in this language: [“It is forbidden to despair, ah, do not despair”] and he prolonged the phrase “Givalt” [“ah”] as a way of warning and crying from the depths of the heart.

50

When we heard from the holy mouth the statement beginning with "What makes the world distant from the Blessed Name is that they do not settle themselves," refer to section 10 in Likutei Tiniana. There, he speaks about joy, and he, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, was accustomed to sit at a place outside, near a wall of the synagogue in the south, by a piece of wood from the beam that was placed as a foundation. For there he would frequently sit, sometimes on the south side, sometimes on the north, sometimes on the east, and sometimes on the west, and sometimes within the sanctuary of the synagogue. At times he would walk with us to wander around the mountain surrounding the city, and sometimes he would walk with us here and there in front of the synagogue. In all these places, we always heard wondrous and awesome teachings and holy conversations that had not been heard like this for many years. Even after he had the illness of the [shaking] fever, he would travel to wander according to the Rabbi, and we would travel with him and hear from him on the way much Torah.

Returning to the earlier matter, when he spoke of the aforementioned subject, he spoke much about joy and strengthened us and urged us greatly to always be joyful. For at those times when he came from Limberg, he spoke to us extensively about the importance of being constantly joyful. He then said to us that it was appropriate for us to be very joyful about what we were saved from, in His mercy, from being opponents to Him. He said then in this language: "Blessed is our God who created us for His honor and separated us from the deluded ones, from the deluded ones, meaning from the deluded ones entirely, from the heretics and the apikorsim, and we were also saved from the deluded ones who oppose Him and who lost what they lost without any measure, value, or count." He said, "Are you not surely opponents without His great mercies and compassion that saved us from the terror of those opponents who, if we had listened to them, G-d forbid, would have caused us to lose hope, God forbid, and so on?" He responded and said in astonishment, "Were you indeed opponents?!"

51

The Torah, "Where is the place of His glory?" in Likutei Tinana, Siman 12, which begins, "When a person follows his own understanding and wisdom, he may fall into many errors and pitfalls." This teaching addresses the issue of people making mistakes and encountering numerous confusions and major disruptions by following their own intellect and wisdom. It mentions that the author of this text erred greatly through his wisdom, claiming that the elderly sage was so elevated that the land outside Israel could not endure the light of the sage’s sanctity. [And although his intention was also to permit outside the land through the use of a drug or with scissors, like a razor, he nevertheless strengthened the hands of transgressors who shave their beards in Ashkenazi countries.]

Later, he began to explain the aforementioned teaching until he completed it. At that time, it was astonishing to me because I had never heard that the aforementioned author had made such a mistake. May God forgive him. However, after that, I spoke with knowledgeable individuals in books and similar stories, and they told me that this was a well-known matter that the author of the text had said. I also heard that in the book of "Questions and Answers" from "The Unknown," there is a foolish and erroneous reasoning, and the truth has been contradicted by a hundred of the most righteous and wise scholars.

This illustrates how human wisdom can be false and how one should not rely on one’s intellect against the Torah of Moshe, whether written or oral, even if it is just a hair's breadth. Certainly, regarding something like this, which the Torah interprets as a prohibition of shaving the beard, our sages, blessed be their memory, said: "Those who violate five prohibitions are already considered to have transgressed." It is a settled halachah that anything which is a bodily obligation has no distinction between the land of Israel and outside the land. One can find that through their wisdom and knowledge, they will say an argument that is not true, which will roll over to those who come to permit such a prohibition, thus violating five prohibitions in the Torah and strengthening those who transgress.

It is appropriate for every author to cry out against this with all kinds of voices, and the cry of brokenness will awaken against this breach that has occurred in Israel, which is so prevalent in Ashkenaz, violating five prohibitions every day. For even in Ashkenaz, this bad practice did not exist from time immemorial, only beginning about a thousand years after the destruction of the Second Temple. This great evil began to sprout among them. For I heard from our sages, blessed be their memory, that even in ancient times, the nations of the world did not shave their beards. It was only a few hundred years ago that the nations of the world began to shave their beards. Later, during the time of the harsh bitterness of the exile, the sitra achra (the other side) spread, and the evil inclination stirred among the Jewish people as well, leading them to intermingle with the nations, learn their ways, and start committing such great and well-known transgressions of shaving their beards. And thus, one learned from a friend until this breach increased among us with many transgressions and was seen as permitted, as those who are truly pious do not shave their beards even in Ashkenaz.

And even in the regions adjacent to Ashkenaz, the evil did not spread as it did in Ashkenaz. It only began there, and afterwards, even the righteous were mistaken to some extent. Even now, when they are rebuked for violating five prohibitions in the Torah, they respond that shaving with a permissible drug is indeed permitted, and those who practice this believe they have permission according to the law, not according to the writings of the Ari, blessed be his memory, and the Zohar. But those who examine hearts know that most of them transgress intentionally and shave with a razor in times of distress with their own hands, and since they themselves admit that shaving with a razor is forbidden, they cannot deny the explanation in the Torah and the Gemara. They themselves know the truth if they shave with a razor or a drug. There is much to weep and cry out with a bitter soul, and to weep like a torrent of tears with no respite for this breach that has occurred in Israel, until this evil began to sprout near our land, and such transgressions are also found there among them.

May God, blessed be He, have mercy on His people and save the remaining portion by His great and awe-inspiring power. May He bring us our righteous Messiah and reveal the truth in the world swiftly in our days. Amen.

52

Previously, our teacher, blessed be his memory, said that the Torah published in Likkutei Tenyana at section 32 begins with "There are hidden righteous ones," and it was said in the Shabbat Parashat Yitro (Tekkufat) [for a minor detail]. And he narrated a story from before: The Ba’al Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, was staying in the holy community of Brat and was hosted by a wealthy man. Many honored guests were gathered there around the table in his honor, as was the custom, and there was a preacher present at the table, i.e., a sermonizer.

The preacher ate a lot, and they looked at him, noticing that he ate excessively, and they began to offer him and serve him a lot of food for jesting purposes. The preacher did his part and ate a lot of all the food they served him, such as fish, where two people would normally share one piece, but the preacher ate two pieces by himself, and also ate an entire plate of gravy by himself, and so with the rest of the food. They served him each time for the sake of jesting because they saw he ate a lot.

Later, they began to urge him to recite Torah in their presence. Their intention was also for jesting, that he would recite Torah at the table where the Ba’al Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, was seated at the head. He acted with his simplicity and began to recite Torah in their presence. They began to laugh at him within their hand gestures and saw him as a joke and mockery [for laughing and jesting].

The preacher understood that they were making fun of him because he ate a lot. The preacher responded and said, "If you cannot recite Torah, it is forbidden to eat a piece of fish." Later, the Ba’al Shem Tov looked and saw the entire matter and was particular and angered with them. He listened to the preacher’s Torah and it greatly pleased him. And the Ba’al Shem Tov said that this preacher recites Torah from the mouth of Elijah, blessed be his memory. All this our teacher, blessed be his memory, told us. And afterward, our teacher, blessed be his memory, said that this matter greatly pleased him, what the preacher said, and that if they cannot recite Torah, it is forbidden to eat a piece of fish.

Afterward, our teacher, blessed be his memory, said that the Torah mentioned above, concerning the hidden righteous ones who know wondrous Torah and are hidden from the world, is like the preacher who knew wondrous Torah but was a hidden righteous one, and the world mocked him.

53

In the year 5658 (1898), close to Rosh Hashanah, we traveled with him outside the city, myself and my friend Rabbi Naftali. He told us that he dreamt that there were messiahs, and that healing is from the Name alone, as it is written: "For I am the Lord your Healer." Only the Name, blessed be He, can heal. And they said, "Who knows that the Name, blessed be He, wants," and one of us answered, but did not want to say who the person was, "because I am the Lord your Healer," signifies this, that it is the acronym for Amen. So may it be according to what is published in Likkutei Tenyana, section 42.

54

He spoke with us about the Torah published in Likkutei Tenyana, section 40, beginning with "He who knows from the land of Israel," that one who has truly tasted the taste of the land of Israel and said that he knew this previously, for did I not travel to the land of Israel, and naturally, I had a prior desire and longing to go to the land of Israel and also dreamt of the land of Israel.

And once, I had a certain man with me, and I spoke with him, and it began to awaken within me a great yearning and desire for the land of Israel. Later, I asked him if he had been with righteous ones on Rosh Hashanah, and he told me that he had been with several great, truthful righteous ones on Rosh Hashanah, and because of this, I had a great longing, as I spoke with him, as explained in the above Torah. And he said that even though he knew this matter previously, he did not know it at all as he does now. For then, he knew only that, because of the conversations with someone who had been with the righteous on Rosh Hashanah, it was fitting that he should feel the land of Israel, for one who longs for the land of Israel. But concerning the matter itself, from where it is derived, he did not know at all as he does now. For now he is worthy that the matter be revealed to him in completeness.

55

And thus, regarding the matter of the twenty-four types of redemptions, which are needed to sweeten the twenty-four courts of judgment as printed in Likutey A, in Siman 215, it was already known from earlier, before he was in the Land of Israel. As I heard from our peaceful ones, and specifically from one important individual among our peaceful ones, who told that once his wife was on the brink of death, almost her soul had departed. And he came to him, blessed be his memory, and said to him, "Run quickly and bring twenty-four redemptions before the decree is issued and sealed." He ran and brought him a sack full of coins. Then a miracle happened, and she returned to her health. Subsequently, our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, instructed to return all the coins, but to only accept twenty-four large coins [type of currency] and distribute them to the poor.

And then he also said that it is impossible to perform a redemption unless one knows all the twenty-four types of redemptions to sweeten all the twenty-four courts of judgment. And he gave a parable: Just as if someone were to demand a certain type of action and he places an argument that they are called "Philippent" in Kamenitz. So too, how can one perform a redemption if he does not know which courts are judging him. And he also said that there is a high redemption that can sweeten all the twenty-four courts of judgment, and there are also several discussions about this matter, but he did not know all the details completely as he later understood, as he revealed a little of this to us, that sometimes even with a redemption that includes all the twenty-four courts of judgment, it is still not effective because it becomes another matter, namely conversions, and this is a type of Moses standing between destruction and favor. All this he did not know at that time, only later, through his labor and efforts at all times until he reached higher and more exalted levels, and then he achieved and understood in a wondrous revelation what he had initially known in a simple manner, in a hidden way only as a hint. From this, you can understand a little of his greatness, that even previously there was a wondrous new insight as he said that from these twenty-four redemptions he knew only one type. And all this was before the Land of Israel, and afterward, when he came from the Land of Israel, he said that he was embarrassed by all the Torahs and understandings he had attained before he was in the Land of Israel, and they were not considered anything in his eyes. See and understand how much he ascended afterward and how much there is to speak about this matter, how even before the Land of Israel there was a wondrous insight as he knew about the twenty-four types of redemptions, or from the matter of the Land of Israel, as mentioned above, as he knew then, but even so, against the knowledge he later acquired, these matters themselves as he later understood, the initial knowledge is considered as nothing compared to the understanding he later achieved. This is what I have understood from his holy knowledge. However, in this matter, the written tools are not sufficient to explain the matter well, and those who are wise will understand a little on their own.

56

See, I found this in the handwriting of our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, from the matter of the Torah. And he built himself a house in Siman 256. Know that when the world diminishes the commandment of Sukkah by not fulfilling it properly, it causes death or illness to animals and other living beings, all according to the deficiency. For this is the distinction between human beings and animals, as human beings derive their vitality from the place of understanding, as our Sages, blessed be their memory, said: “He made her breasts in the place of understanding,” which is not the case with animals, whose vitality comes from the place of the genitalia. The concept of Sukkah represents the aspect of the mother of understanding, which provides shelter for her children, and we draw from her. Through this commandment, we are distinguished from the influence of animals. And when they diminish in the commandment of Sukkah, then they descend from the level of human beings, and they lose the influence from the place of understanding, descending to the levels of other living beings. And other living beings are distanced from their influence, as humans take the influence away from them, and thus, the animals either die or fall into illnesses, all according to the amount of influence they receive, whether much or little. This is the reason why the Sukkah is life and sustenance for living beings, so they remain at their level as mentioned above. And when human beings sit in Sukkahs as required, they remain at their level and in the realm of Torah. For the Torah is the aspect of: “Do not forsake the Torah of your mother,” and “If for understanding you will call.” Therefore, close to Sukkot, we make the joy of Torah. And this is the abbreviation of the phrase, ‘Jacob journeyed to Sukkot and built.’ For in abbreviation, the Torah was given, and we are in the level of Torah through the commandment of Sukkah as mentioned above.

57

Know that through the commandment of Sukkah, it is permitted for him to engage in building, and it does not harm his wealth, as our Sages, blessed be their memory, said: “One who engages in building is not impoverished.” The reason for this is that what is the relation between poverty and building? The reason is that one who builds a structure must build with wisdom, as it is written: “By wisdom a house is built,” and certainly one who builds with wisdom will not become impoverished; on the contrary, he will become wealthy and sustained by it. But one who builds without wisdom is punished with poverty, and as a result, his wisdom is degraded, as it is said: “The wisdom of the poor is despised,” a measure against measure. And through the commandment of Sukkah, he is on the level of Torah, as mentioned above, and the Torah is the source of all wisdom. Therefore, it is permitted for him to build, for certainly he possesses wisdom, and as a sign of the matter, “Jacob journeyed to Sukkot and built.” Through the commandment of Sukkah, it was permitted for him to build, referring to the head of the letters of the phrase, “House.” This refers to the Torah, the house from the beginning, learned from the eyes of all Israel, that is, the whole Torah, and so on.

58

efore the Torah said: "I am," in Likutey A, Siman 4, it recounts this story.

It is a story about a certain man among the followers of the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, who was very ill and was in a serious condition. He sent a man to the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, asking him to travel to him. The Baal Shem Tov agreed to go to the sick man. And so it was. The messenger arrived to the Baal Shem Tov and told him all that had happened, including that the sick man was ill and requested that he come to him. The Baal Shem Tov indeed traveled to the sick man.

On the way, the messenger asked the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, how it was that he had heard from him that when a person makes complete repentance, he will certainly not die before his time. And this sick man, as it appears, had made complete repentance in truth and was a truly righteous man, yet he had not lived so long. Why then was he not healed from his illness? The Baal Shem Tov answered the messenger: “Indeed, this is what I said, and it is certainly so. And this sick man also made complete repentance in truth for all his sins. The reason he has not yet been healed is because he did not confess his sins before a true tzaddik. And that is why I am going to him, so that he may confess, and if he confesses before me, he will be healed immediately. But if he does not want to confess before me, then his illness will grow heavier, and he will begin to cry out in agony over all his limbs, hands, and feet, and he will die.

Indeed, in the higher worlds, meaning in the heavenly court, there is no sin or transgression against him at all, for he made complete repentance for all his sins as required. And after his passing, there will be no clinging by the kelipot and external forces to him, for he has already rectified all that was blemished. And if he confesses before me, then he will immediately be healed. But if he does not confess, there will still be power for the external forces to take vengeance on him in this world with all his body and limbs until he dies. And so it happened that when the Baal Shem Tov arrived to the sick man, he told him in this language: “Say what you know, for the Holy One, blessed be He, knows, and I know as well,” meaning that he should confess all his sins before him. The Baal Shem Tov said this to him three times, but he did not want to speak. Immediately, the sick man began to cry out in pain and woe over the intense pain in all his limbs, crying out bitterly, in detail, over the pain of each limb, as his limbs began to break apart, with all his bones being torn apart. He cried out in this manner from his illness until he died, just as the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, had said.

Anyone who contemplates the saying "I am" mentioned above will understand this story well.

59

Dates of when teachings were given, where known to us:

Likutei Moharan

Number	Heading	Date
1*	Ashrei Temimei-Darekh	Medvedevka, year unknown (*Tovoth Zikhronoth)
2*	Emor el-haKohanim	Zlatipolia (*Tovoth Zikhronot 2)
3	Aqrukta	I heard that it was given on the first Shabbat when Rabbeinu z"l entered Breslev, at the end of 5562/1802.
4	Anokhi	in Zlatipolia on Shavu`ot
5	Bachatzotzroth	Rosh Hashanah 5563/1803
6	Qera eth-Yehoshu`a	the following Shabbat Teshuvah
7	Mishpatim	winter 5563/1803
8	Ra'iti Menorath Zahav	Shabbat Chanukkah 5563/1803
9	Tehomoth Yekhasyumu	Shabbath Shirah 5563/1803
10	Mishpatim	the same winter in Terhovitza before Purim
11	Ani Hashem Hu Shemi	Shavu`ot 5563/1803
12	Tehilah leDavid	Shabbat Nachamu 5563/1803; and includes an explanation of the verse, "Nachamu Nachamu" etc.
13	Ashrei — Hashgachah	Rosh haShanah 5564/1803
14	Tik`u — Lehamshikh Shalom...	Shabbat Chanukkah 5564/1803
15*	Ohr Haganuz	Zlatipolia (*Tovot Zikhronot 6)
16	Rabbi Yochanan Mishta`ei	Shabbat, at the morning meal, summer 5563/1803
17	Merikim Sakeihem	Shabbat Chanukkah 5566/1805
18	Kartalita	It appears this was said in winter of 5564/1803-4 in Terhovitza.
19	Tefila Lechabakuk	Shavu`ot 5564/1804
20	Tish`ah Tikkunim	Rosh Hashanah 5565/1805
21	`Atika	Shabbat Nachamu 5564/1804
22	Chotam Betokh-Chotam	the week after Rosh Hashanah
23	Tzivitha Tzedek	Winter 5563/1802-3
24	Emtza`ita de`Alma	Shabbat night meal, summer 5563/1803
29	Hai Gavra...	Shavu`ot 5566/1803
30	Meishra deSakina	Shabbat Chanukkah 5567/1806
38	Markevoth Par`oh	Shabbat Shirah 5562/1802
44	Atem Nitzavim	end of 5562/1802 on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah
48	`Al-Asher-Me`altem	Isru Chag Sukkot 5563/1802
49	Lashemesh	Shabbat, 3 Nissan 5563/1803, after the marriage of his daughter Sarah z"l which was on Rosh Chodesh Nissan in Medvedevka
51	Amar Rabbi Akiva	after Shavu`ot 5563/1803
52	Hane`or Balailah	beginning of 5563/1802
54	Vayhi Miketz — Zikaron	Shabbat Chanukkah 5565/1804
56	Uveyom Habikurim	Shavu`ot 5565/1805
58-59	Tlat Nafkin and Heikhal haKodesh	Rosh Hashanah 5566/1805
60	Pathach Rabbi Shim`on	Rosh Hashanah 5567/1806
61	Chadi Rabbi Shim`on	Rosh Hashanah 5568/1807
62	Vayasev	Shabbat Shirah 5565/1805
63	Sod Kavanath Hamilah	the Shabbat before the berith milah of his holy son Shelomoh Efrayim z"l, who was born close to Rosh Chodesh Nissan 5565/1805
65	Vayomer Bo`az	Summer of 5566/1806, shortly after the passing of his aforementioned holy son Shelomoh Efrayim, which was in Sivan 5566/1806. And that is when this lesson was given, on Friday at day. And prior to this he taught the lesson, "Da` ki yesh arikh anpin.../Know that there is an arikh anpin of the Klipah," #242. And on the preceding Thursday he cried in our presence. And "Veshiquvai Bivkhi Masokhti/I have mixed my drink with my weeping," #262, he taught on the following Shabbat.
66	Viyhi na pi shnayim	After Chanukkah 5567/1806: on Shabbat, regarding breaking obstacles, as explained there; and on Motza'ei Shabbat, regarding drawing forth the spirit of Mashiach, as explained there. And at the same time, that is, on the same night that he began to teach that lesson at the night meal, he told before the meal the story of the birds and "Mazal tov!", as explained elsewhere [Chayei Moharan: New Stories #82].
67	Vayiven Et-Hatzela`	Zaslav on Shavu`ot 5567/1807
72	Lehitchazek Bekhol Pa`am Neged Hayetzer Hara`	when his holy son Shelomoh Efrayim was born
78	Viyten-`Oz Lemalko	Zlatipolia on Rosh Hashanah 5561/1800
96	Zomem Rasha` Latzaddik	a long time before his trip to Eretz Israel
112	Tzohar ta`aseh latevah	start of winter 5563/1802
132-132	Ma`yan Denafek Me'atar Chad and Ve'orach Tzadikim	after Pesach 5563/1803 upon his return from travel to his daughter Sarah z"l's wedding
175	Beshimkha Yegilun	Motza'ei Shabbat Teshuvah 5565/1804
177	Vayomer Hashem Salachti Kidvarekha	Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan 5565/1804, which is when the forshpiel [bridal party] of his daughter Miriam z"l took place.
197	Lashon Hara` Pogem `Anavah	before Shavu`ot 5565/1805
205	Tikkun Lemikreh...	After Shavu`ot 5565/1805. Revealing the ten Tehillim was in 5569 [That is when R' Natan glimpsed a manuscript where the Rebbe had written down the ten Tehillim. Public revelation occurred later: according to an unnumbered letter from Rabbi Nachman Goldstein of Tulchin dated Monday 18 Adar, 5633, at the end of Alim Litrufah, R' Nachman revealed the ten Tehillim to R' Aharon and R' Naftali between LM II #74 and the tale of the Seven Beggars, shortly before the Rebbe left Breslev for Uman. As that Torah, regarding Parashat Parah, was most likely given that Shabbat, 18 Adar II, 5570, and the tale was begun a week later on 25 Adar II, therefore the Tehillim were revealed that week. See CM #141]
206	Ta`iti Keseh Oved	I heard from the rav, R' Natan z"l, that when Rabbeinu z"l revealed this lesson in front of him, he told him that this lesson was his hitbodedut presently at that time.
211	the practice of traveling for Rosh Hashanah	close to Rosh Hashanah 5568/1807; and on Rosh Hashanah, Chadi Rabbi Shim`on, #61, was given, and there it explains more fully the concept of traveling to Tzaddikim for Rosh Hashanah and the concept of "kulehu bemachshavah itbereru/all are purified in thought", except that here in #211 there is also allusion to traveling to gravesites of Tzaddikim, in the aspect of, "Vayikach Moshe eth-`atzmoth Yosef/And Moshe took Yosef's bones..."
277-278	Bekamim `Alai and Da` She`al Chalef Tov — Bekan'o Eth-Kinati...	Shemini `Atzeret
282	Azamera	same; and after Sukkot during his trip to Lviv as they escorted him from Krasne he revealed the idea of the Mishkan and the children, which is the end of that lesson Azamera

Likutei Moharan II

Number	Heading	Date
1	Tik`u — Memshalah	Rosh Hashanah 5569/1808, and before this he told an awesome vision, as explained elsewhere [CM #84, the chair]
2	Yemei Chanukkah	Shabbat Chanukkah 5569/1808
4	Uveyom Habikurim	Shavu`ot 5569/1809
5	Tik`u — Emunah	Rosh Hashanah 5570/1809
7	Ki Merachamam	Shabbat Chanukkah 5570/1809
8	Tik`u — Tokhachah	Rosh Hashanah 5571/1810
10-17		end of 5568/1808 after his return from Lviv
32	Yesh Tzadikim Genuzim	Shabbat Parashat Yitro 5569/1809
66	Hatzaddik Mukhrach La`asot Teshuvah	between Yom Kippur and Sukkot 5570/1809; at the same time, the lesson "Lefi Hayamim Nora'im..." was given [in SH #87]
67	Bereishit — Le`einei Kol-Yisrael	Shabbat Bereishit 5570/1809. There it hints to the passing of the holy rav of Berdichev and the passing of Rabbeinu z"l himself, as inferred from his repeating this lesson close to his entry into Uman.
68	[Ikar Shelemut haTzaddik Sheyuchal Lihyot Lema`alah Ulematah]	Before Chanukkah 5570/1809
71	Chavalim Nafelu Li Bane`imim	Shabbat Shirah
72	Chayim Nitzchiyim	Shabbat Parashat Yitro 5570/1809
78	[Be`Inyan Hanhagat Hapeshitut Shel Hatzaddik haEmet]	Shabbat Nachamu in Uman

Sipurei Ma`asiyot

Number	Heading	Date
1	["The Lost Princess"]	summer 5566/1806
7-8	"The Fly and the Spider" and "The Rabbi and His Son"	summer 5567/1807
9	"The Clever Man and the Simple Man"	winter 5569/1809, before Purim
10	"The Burgher and the Pauper"	5569/1809, after Purim
11	"The Exchanged Children"	Motza'ei Shabbat Parashat Noach 5570/1809
12	"The Prayer Leader"	Motza'ei Shabbat Va'era and Motza'ei Rosh Chodesh Shvat 5570/1809
13	"The Seven Beggars"	its beginning was on the night of Shabbat Kodesh, Parashat Shemini, 25 Adar II 5570/1810
Talks Following the Stories	"The Horse and the Pump"	Shavu`ot 5567/1807 in Zaslav

Sichot Haran

Number	Heading	Date
7	The Sichah regarding pouring out one's talk like a child pleading before his father, and the story of his grandfather, Rabbi Nachman	after Shavu`ot 5569/1809
24	the benefit of being privileged to give money to true Tzaddikim	summer 5569/1809, and afterwards on RH 5570 the lesson Tik`u — Emunah was given, and included there is the concept of "Tzaddik okhel lesova` nafsho/A tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul" (Prov 13:25) and "Vehisbi`a betzachtzachot nafshekha/He will satisfy your soul with splendor" (Isa. 58:11)
32	"One needs to strengthen himself in faith..." and that by means of faith one merits to arrive at the aspect of ratzon/desire...	winter 5570/1809-10, after the lesson, "Ki Merachamam..." [LM II #7] which was given on Shabbat Chanukkah.
40	regarding religious philosophers' books, and the idea of the dreidel	the same Chanukkah 5570/1809 too
51	From "This world is nothing..." to "we already know what to do, from the Torah"	first night of Shavu`ot, Motza'ei Shabbat 5569/1809. And then during that Sichah he spoke regarding "Tenu Levavkhem Li/Give Me Your Hearts..." as explained elsewhere [Hishtapkhut Hanefesh, Preface]. There he spoke up and said, "... the sediment of the mind stands still and remains quiet..."; summer 5569/1809
60	regarding construction	winter 5570/1809-10
86	regarding wedding concepts and practices	Shemini `Atzeret 5563/1803
87	"In accord with the Yamim Nora'im..."	between Yom Kippur and Sukkot 5570/1809
91	a segulah for continued diligence in learning	`Erev Rosh Hashanah 5571/1810
93	"Know: that there is a light that shines in a thousand worlds"	winter 5567/1806, before Chanukkah, in the week of the Brit Milah of his son Ya`akov z"l

[#60-66] Pertaining to Sipurei Ma`asiyot

60

The tale of the Burgher [#10], he told after they first talked in his presence regarding a document written with golden letters [and such a document is mentioned in the tale], and this was after Purim [5]569; before Purim he told the story of the Clever Man and the Simple Man [#9].

61

In the evening after Shabbat Parashat Noach year [5]570 after he had said on the night of Shabbat the Torah which begins [LM II #67], "And this is the aspect of the eulogy over the passing away of the Tzadik," and in the evening after Shabbat we entered to him in our usual way and he tipped with his hand that we should go from him and we immediately went from him — and it was wonder to us because our usual way was to always talk with him a great deal after Shabbat, and there was a bit of pain for us because of this and we went in to the house of the local rav. After some hours he sent his attendant and called us that we should enter to him and we entered to him — I and my friend Rabbi Naftali. And he told us to tell him news, the way he always did, asking [us] to tell him news specifically, and Rabbi Natfali told him what he heard then of the matter of the French war which was at those times. And then in that conversation we were astounded and astonished over the enormity of [Napoleon's] rise, that he had risen suddenly to such heights, for at first he was a simple servant, and he became emperor. And we talked with him regarding this matter. He spoke up and said, "Who knows what kind of neshamah/soul he has, for it could be that he was interchanged, for so it is in the Heikhlei haTemurot/Interchange Halls, that sometimes the souls are interchanged" etc.

And afterwards he began to relate that there had already been a story like this, that one time the queen gave birth and at the same time etc. and he told the whole story of the King's Son Who Was Exchanged [#11].

After he told the story of the King's Son and the Bondmaid's Son then I had an argument with my friend Rabbi Naftali over the fact that it is written there, when he [the king's son] went to the fair, that he took everything he had and laid it down for the lodging. And it seemed to one of us that he put it down for the sake of what he owed for the lodging, and the other said it is not so but that he put it down stam/for no reason. And we made a bet on this and we went and asked his holy mouth. And he was involved in his devotions, pacing to and fro in his home in his holy manner, and he replied to us as per the words of the second person, that he just plain laid down [his belongings], and not for debt.

Afterwards present with him was one of his most important followers and Rabeinu z"l related to him and said to him that in these stories when one alters one utterance from according to what he himself said, much is missing from the story. And he told him: Doesn't it seem that these two who made a bet on this matter — it seems apparently that it's a small thing and there's not so much kfeida/what to mind about this, whether it is as this one says or like that one says. But actually much depends on this and there is great kfeida and dikduk/precision/fine detail in this. And from this you can understand a little, `ad heichan `ad heichan/how far, how far these stories reach, for his "thoughts are extremely deep" [Ps. 92:6]. Fortunate is he who will be privileged to conceive of them a little, according to his level.

62

The tale of the Prayer Leader began after he told it with the local chazzan [cantor, lit. visioner] Rabbi Yossi. And we were standing before him and the chazzan's garment was ripped; he spoke up and said to the chazzan, "Aren't you the ba`al tefilah/leader of prayer, through which everything is drawn down (that is, all the influxes)? So why should you not have a garment (which is called a kaftan [a long robe-suit])?" And amidst this he began to tell, in these words, "There was already a story like this, that there was a Prayer Leader," and he told the whole story. And at the beginning of his telling we did not know that he's telling his stories, but rather we thought that he's telling a plain event that happened that way. Only afterwards when he got into the things did we discern the awesomeness of the matter, that he's telling an awesome story from his tales, which are sipurei ma`asiyot shel shanim qadmoniyot/legendary tales of ancient times.

63

Pertaining to inception of the tale of the Seven Beggars, printed in the Sichot #149 q.v., after the words, "I will tell you how happy they were one time:"
It should say, "I heard that he said it in these words: 'What do you [plural] know about how to be happy from within the midst of melancholy?! I will tell you how they were happy one time' etc." It was heard from his holy mouth explicitly that the tales he tells are extremely wonderful and awesome novelties and are fit to be lectured in public, standing in the synagogue and telling a story from these tales he told, for they are extremely high and awesome novelties. (Copyist's note: I heard from the mouth of Rav Naftali z"l that after Rabeinu z"l told the legend of the Seven Beggars he extolled its loftiness exceedingly and said [we] are permitted to travel to Brod and enter the synagogue and say to the shamash/attendant that he should assemble the public for a lecture and knock on the table (as is done before a lecture to quiet the murmur of the people) and tell them this story).

64

Pertaining to the Sichot #151 after the words "...loftiness of their level:"
Then on Sunday afternoon we stood before him and he talked with us and during the conversation he spoke some quip which is called a vartil/joke regarding that sect etc. Then he spoke of the concept of wide shoulders. Then from that same conversation it came about that he asked where we are standing in the story and we replied to him: on the Fifth Day; and then he told the story of the Fifth Day and he told it in joy.

65

I heard from one of [Rabbeinu z"l's] most important followers, who said that he heard from the mouth of Rabeinu z"l, the story regarding the tzaddik who fell one time into great sadness, where he enlivened himself by reminding himself of the profound kindness of Hashem Yitbarakh "shelo `asani goi/for not making me a heathen," which is already printed in Sipurei Ma`asiyot [Talks Following the Stories] q.v. — which was written according to what I myself heard from his holy mouth z"l himself. And this man said that he heard this story from the mouth of Rabeinu z"l in a slightly different style.

And he said that Rabeinu z"l told that there was one tzaddik of highest degree who was of the ma'rei d'chushbena/"masters of accounting," who would measure himself every day as to whether he had performed the service of Hashem in its entirety on that day, as was his constant practice. And he reckoned the things that he needed to do on that day, and found that he had not entirely fulfilled his obligation on that day: for example he needed to go to and fro in his house a certain number of times according to what he needed in relation to his lofty perception, and on that day he did not pace to and fro in his house as much as he ought to, and through this he became so downcast that he could not revive himself, until he revived himself from his being privileged in "shelo' `asani goi/that He has not made me a heathen." And also in the story tale there was a slight variation and I do not remember more. And from this matter, discern the loftiness of the great exaltedness of that tzaddik, how great a level he was, that he had a high service in walking to and fro in his house, to the extent that by falling short in this service in his estimation he became so afflicted that he almost could not revive himself if not for reminding himself shelo' `asani goi. See, discern and look at the service of the tzaddikim, that their pain over their shortcoming in their service — how far, how far it extends; fortunate are they!

66

Pertaining to the matter that is printed [in the parables] at the end of Sipurei Ma`asiyot which begins, "Know that there are two kinds of palaces: in one dwells the king and in one dwells the `eved/servant" etc.:
When one serves Hashem but he is still in the aspect of `eved/servant, he is still in the aspect of arur/cursed, God forbid; but there is an aspect of `eved bikdushah/servant in holiness, aspect of Moshe `eved Hashem. And know that there is a mitzvah through which one goes out from the aspect of `eved and it is the mitzvah of pidyon shivuim/redeeming captives.

[#67-73] Pertaining to Sichot Haran

67

Pertaining to the sichah [Sichot Haran #3] that is printed at the end of Sipurei Ma`asiyot which begins, "He greatly emphasized the greatness of Hashem Yitbarakh," and a little is missing there and it is not written as it ought to be, this is how it should be:

While he was sitting on the carriage at the time when I traveled with him from here, Breslev, to Uman, [for him] to pass away there, he spoke up and said, "Hashem Yitbarakh is extremely great and [we] know nothing whatsoever" etc. And he said it in Yiddish in these words, "Gott iz groiss," (and he pulled the word "groyss" upward in a wonderful pleasantness, and it is impossible to describe this in writing at all), "men veyst gor nit; se tuen zikh oyf der velt a zelkhe zakhin, men veyst gor nit/We know nothing; such things are happening in the world yet we know nothing whatsoever." And I asked him, "Didn't you already say that now the concept, "Takhlit hayedia`ah asher lo-neda`/The ultimate knowing is that [God] is unknowable," is known to you? He replied, "Zint ikh bin aroys fun Breslev biz aher veys ikh shoyn oykh nit/From the time that I left Breslev until here, I already [i.e. again] still don't know." (All this he said at the time of that conversation, and at that time it was no more than a short amount of time since he left Breslev. And if you are a little adept in the depth of his holy conversations you will understand from this a little of the amazingness of his greatness, for he had already said that his "eino yode`a/not knowing" is the maximum, and now he boasted that in such a short time once again he doesn't know at all.)

68

Pertaining to the sichah regarding doctors, that one must distance oneself from them to the utmost extent; see there [Sichot HaRan] #50: [Translator's note: in Rabbi Nachman's times and environs the doctors were extremely dangerous.]

And he said that whoever has an ill person in his home, God forbid, if someone would come to him and would say to him that he will deal the sick person a great blow with a thick wooden club which is called a druk, he would definitely be panicked at this. And behold, when one gives the sick person into the hands of the doctor, behold he is like one who gives him to an actual murderer. For his treatments will certainly harm him more than a murderer's blow, and why would one want to kill the sick person with one's hands? And really, just because he has to do something for the sick person, to make effort for his deliverance, should he then give him over to the doctor? If so, let him call someone to beat the sick person immediately with deathly blows. Understand this well.

(And the fact that Rabbeinu himself traveled to Lemberg and got involved with treatments there, there are very secret and hidden things in this, for his intention was not at all in going there for treatments, but rather for other things known to him, and just as all his travels were hidden and lofty wonders, such as the trip to Kaminitz, Navritch, Sharhorod and so forth, which are somewhat mentioned in our words. For, he had very wonderful secrets in this that are hidden from the eye of all living. And just as one time when he came from those aforementioned ways, he told some awesome tale (of the Fly and Spider) that is explained in Sipurei Ma`asiyot, and he said that this story explains the matter of his trip — but actually the thing is very closed up and sealed, for who can stand in the secret of the tales he told, or in the secret of his wonderful and hidden trips and conducts? — that is just how his trip to Lemberg was, and after he set out and arrived there he was forced from Heaven to be involved in treatments due to reasons and secrets known to him. But when he returned from there then specifically he spoke a great deal more about keeping distant from treatments, and he said at that time several Torot from Sichot Haran about this. And also before he traveled to Lemberg he would speak of this matter, but afterwards he would speak very much about it, to keep distant from them to the ultimate extent.)

69

The talk that is printed at the end of Sipurei Ma`asiyot [i.e. Sichot Haran #58] which begins, "There are things that flash through [lit. bloom in] one's thought" — this talk I heard from him on the carriage before he said the Torah, "DaYO la`eved lihyot kerabbo/Enough for the servant to be like his master — is an aspect of DYO/ink on a book [the phrase can be alternately read, "Ink is to the servant, to be like his master"]; see there [Likutei Moharan #192]. And what happened was like this: that I traveled with him on the carriage to escort him to Tcherin for Shabbat Shirah, and then on the way he said that a certain thing had flashed before him at that moment, and that is when he said the aforementioned matter. And then he spoke with me a great deal, and strengthened me and consoled me then very much with sweet and pleasant words, and restored my soul a great deal, and said to me, "Won't it all be nullified due to the satisfaction that you will have? And is it an accomplishment to benefit a man in only the coming world? But rather, in this world as well he shall have goodness" — to the extent that out of the great intimacy with which he drew me close at that time, and the revelation of love with sweet words which he spoke with me, tears of crying from joy were aroused in me.

<After he said the statement which begins, "Can we allow Hashem Yitbarakh to decree harsh decrees (which is brought in Sichot Haran #70), then afterwards he said lightheartedly, "Elohim al domi lakh/God, do not keep silent" (Ps. 83:2) — to not allow Hashem Yitbarakh to "domen," which this word [Rus. dumat'] is "trachten/to think" in our language.>

70

Pertaining to the Sichot after Sipurei Ma`asiyot [Sichot Haran #74], what is written there that one should work oneself into anger during prayer, etc.:
And he said that this is the aspect of le`olam yargiz adam yetzer tov `al yetzer hara`/a man should always work his good inclination into anger over his evil inclination [Berakhot 5a] — yargiz/make angry, specifically, a term of rogez/wrath, as one needs to make himself angry in holiness, as mentioned there regarding prayer.

71

Pertaining to Likutei Moharan next to the Ma`asiyot [i.e. Sichot Haran #89], to the statement that begins, "Da` sheyesh chavilot/Know that there are bundles" etc.:
It is lacking there, from line 9 to line 5 on the next page, 14, and this is how it should be: "Ma`avir rishon rishon/He takes away first first, that is, the first sin in each bundle" (so the phrasing of "rishon rishon" is very precise here. For according, to its simple meaning it is amazing why two times "rishon" applies, because there is no first besides one. However, in accord with the aforementioned it is very precise, because it is the first and first sin of each bundle and bundle, as mentioned):
And then when the Hakadosh Barukh Hu takes away the first and first sin of each bundle and bundle — which all the rest of the sins in each bundle were dependent on and trailing after the first sin in each bundle and bundle, as mentioned — and now Hashem Yitbarakh in His compassion takes away and nullifies the first and first sin in each bundle and bundle, now where can the rest of the sins in each bundle and bundle get their life? — since their root has been neutralized and broken off, which is the first sin in each bundle and bundle, as mentioned. And then the rest of the sins in each bundle and bundle return to Hashem Yitbarakh and come to Hashem Yitbarakh, that He should give them life, and then Hashem Yitbarakh himself gives them life and the man becomes exempt from them, for there is no longer a need [for him] to give them life now that he is privileged to arouse His Blessed compassion to take away rishon rishon etc. as mentioned. For, now the rest of the sins have returned to Hashem Yitbarakh and receive life from His Blessedness Himself. And this is the aspect of, "Alamdah posh`im derakheikha, vechata'im eleikha yashuvu/I will teach transgressors Your way, and faults shall return unto You" (Ps. 51:15). "Derakheikha" — this is the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes, as is written, "Hodi`eni na et-derakheikha/Make me know Your ways" (Ex. 33:13), and Hakadosh Barukh Hu showed him the Thirteen Attributes of Compassion. That is, when one learns to perform and fulfill these Thirteen Attributes then Hakadosh Barukh Hu takes away rishon rishon of each bundle and bundle, as mentioned; then the chata'im eleikha yashuvu/faults return to You. That is, the remaining faults in each bundle and bundle "return to You," for they go back and return to Hashem Yitbarakh to receive life from Hashem Yitbarakh Himself after their root has been cut, which is the first and first transgression in each bundle and bundle which Hakadosh Barukh Hu takes away through the Thirteen Attributes of Compassion. However, from where does Hakadosh Barukh Hu give them life ... ?

72

Pertaining to what is explained in the Sichot [#98], that winter is the aspect of pregnancy and summer is the aspect of birth:
And he gave us a wonderful talk at that time but it was mostly forgotten. And what I still remember is him talking then about the summer, which was tangibly approaching, for this conversation took place in Nissan before Pesach, at the time of the brit of his son Shelomoh Efrayim z"l, on the third day after the milah. What he said then was that in winter all the grasses and plants are entirely dead, for their power is nullified in winter, and then they are in the aspect of death; but when summer comes they all come to life and thrive. And then it is good and nice when one goes out to "laSuaCh basadeh/talk-meditate in the field" [Gen 24:63] this talk is prayer, pleading and aspirations to Hashem Yitbarakh. And then every SiaCh hasadeh/bush of the field — which are beginning to come to life and flourish — they all yearn and are included into his prayer and talk. And he went on giving this wonderful talk regarding this concept and other matters as well.

73

Regarding the Sichah that is printed in #39, where he wrote that one needs to strike his head on the wall, that is, strike his head, which is his mind, on the walls of his heart; see there:
Afterwards I heard in his name that this is the aspect of, "Vaysev Chizkiyahu panav el-hakir/And Chizkiyahu turned his face to the wall" [Isa. 38:2] that he turned and drew his face, which is the brain and the mind, to the walls of his heart, that is, as mentioned above, for the essence of one's face is his chokhmah and da`at [intellect and the knowledge/mind], which constitute the "light of the face," as explained elsewhere [Likutei Moharan #57].

[#74-77] Pertaining to Sefer Hamidot

74

Pertaining to the Alef-Beit [aka Sefer haMidot], regarding medicine, [something] which is recorded elsewhere:
He said he had [a section] in the Alef-Beit, letter Reish, on refuah/medicine, where all the remedies were written, and there was no illness in the world that did not have a remedy written there. However, he did not want to publish it, and he burned it.

75

Pertaining to the latter Alef-Beit [i.e. Part 2], letter Dalet, Da`at #1, which begins, "Know this: All the worlds and all creations have a special form, for example the lion species [is different from the sheep]... And all the differences are hinted by the image of the permuted letters; and one who is privileged to understand the Torah etc.":
It appears to me that this is the topic of the talk which I heard from his holy mouth before Shabbat Chanukah [5]565, regarding the creations in the universe, that all the images and forms of all people are all included in the word אדם/Adam/man stated in the Torah, "Na`aseh adam/Let us make man," for in this word, Adam, which Hashem Yitbarakh spoke — "Na`aseh adam/Let us make man," — in this word, all varieties of forms of people in the world are included. And similarly, in the word בהמה/behemah/dumb beast and חיה/chayah/animal stated in the story of Bereishit, in this word are also included all the forms of every beast and animal. And similarly with all the rest of the creations. And he went long with this talk and said, then, that there exist wisdoms, even in this world, on which one can live alone, without any food or drink. And he went on with this talk very much, but we were not privileged to write it down.

76

Pertaining to the new Alef-Beit, letter Dalet #1, at the end: "...and one will also know their unification, that is, reishitam vetakhlitam/ their headings and ends/ principals and ultimate purposes, for at the inception and in the ultimate purpose they are in unison and without difference. It is possible this was Rabbeinu z"l's meaning in the Torah which begins, "Lekhu chazu mif`alot Hashem" in LM II #39: "Ki lekhol davar yesh hatchalah vetakhlit/Each and every thing has a beginning and an end" etc.; take a good look there. So it is possible that his meaning was the aforementioned, that one must remember, know, and attain this matter, that in their beginning and in their ultimate ends they are in unison with no difference. For, this aforementioned Torah, "Lekhu chazu," I was not privileged to understand thoroughly at the time when I heard from his holy mouth; and also when he saw the Torah in writing he said that in this Torah I did not hit upon his meaning, and he said, "I did not speak in these terms, and this is not even what I meant." So it may be that his intention was the aforementioned concept; and I did not explain this there in writing, therefore he said that I did not hit upon his intention. Hashem knows the hidden things.

77

Pertaining to the new Alef-Beit, which he compiled during his childhood:
By means of zerizut/diligence it is easy to become the one who sustains the era, materially or spiritually. And the sign is: "Lekh-el-NeMaLaH, `atzel" [Prov. 6:6] — regarding this is the scripture: "MishaM ro`eH, eveN YisraeL/From there is the Shepherd, the stone of Yisrael" [Gen. 49:24], that is, the sustainer. That is, meriting to be appointed to be the supporter is based on diligence, which is learned from the ant, for "MishaM ro`eH, eveN YisraeL." And this matter have already been printed in the new Alef-Beit, in different phrasing; but it was in this style that I heard this matter from his holy mouth.

[#78-80] Pertaining to Conversations Surrounding LM

78

The Torah, "Atem nitzavim/You are standing," in LM #44, he taught on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah of 5563, on the first Shabbat after I had become his follower. And there he speaks about clapping hands during prayer. And know, that at that time when he said this Torah, it was close to when he entered here in Breslev, and then is when he spoke a great deal regarding clapping hands in prayer. And he told me that at the beginning of his entering here, he once stood in the doorway of the beit midrash in his house and rebuked the people with regard to prayer, that they are not praying properly. And he spoke up and said that one does not hear, from any of those who are praying, any hand clapping. And from this we immediately discerned that he wants to put the crown back in its place, that they should once again stir up and pray with aim, fervor, and great power, like the early Chasidim who were during the times of the Ba`al Shem Tov z"l and his holy students who were in the generation before us. For, during Rabbeinu z"l's early years the chasidim already started to cool off, etc., and he z"l labored and toiled a great deal to repair all this, to return the crown to its place.

Also at that time, before the Shabbat that was before that Rosh HaShanah, with me there were two prominent chasidim, and they dined by him z"l, and during their conversation with him they were making mockery of someone in Nemirov whose custom was to do a great deal of hand clapping during prayer, and Rabeinu z"l took exception with this, said harsh things to them and said to them, "And do you know what is hand clapping during prayer and all the things involved in it, that you make mockery of this man, whose hand clapping you find unacceptable? And afterwards on the Shabbat after this, which was the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, I came for Shabbat, and then he said the Torah, "Atem Nitzavim" regarding hand clapping. And it was the first Torah that I was privileged to hear from his holy mouth, and immediately I wrote it down with his great help, praise to the God of my life.

Also afterwards, not long after Sukkot, one prestigious man came to him from Nemirov, and he was the man who was with by him before Rosh Hashanah, who was making mockery of the hand clapping of the aforementioned man. And this man came on account of his son at home who had become ill, the Merciful One spare us. And Rabbeinu z"l showed him a passage in Peri `Etz haChayim regarding "Veyasem Lekha Shalom," the acrostic of which is "ShaLeV/tranquility," which is the aspect of "ShaLeV hayiti vayfarpreini/I was at ease, and he broke me asunder" [Job 16:12] etc. And he ordered him to read this material out loud in his presence, so he had to say it in his presence. And afterwards Rabbeinu z"l taught the lesson about hand clapping in Torah #46 regarding the three hands etc.; see there. But this man refused to put his shoulder to it, to bear the yoke of Torah and become a follower of him z"l. And he returned to his house and the child became more ill. And the man told me the whole affair that Rabbeinu z"l was engaged in with him, and all of his lesson which he told him at that time. He also told me that Rabbeinu z"l told him some story of an aristocrat who was most hard and brazen, but I do not remember it well. And the man asked of me that when I travel to him I should mention the child to him and ask him to save him. And I traveled shortly afterwards to him z"l and spoke about it with him. He spoke up and said, "The child is still alive!?" in an expression of amazement. And I stood trembling and astonished, for I discerned from his words that the decree of judgement was already sealed on the boy, to die. Rabbeinu z"l spoke up and said if that man "would have accepted my words, the child would have already returned to his health." (That is to say, but now that he did not accept my words it is impossible for the child to survive.) And so it happened, that the boy passed away soon. And when Rabbeinu z"l spoke with me regarding this man who did not accept his words, I began to advocate for him and said, "How can he become your follower, as he is already a follower [that is, of one of Rabbeinu z"l's disputers]. And he z"l replied, "If so, he has a big test," in other words: So what? Because of that it is impossible for him to become [my] follower? Only, his test is bigger — but he certainly needs to stand the test and break all the obstacles and become [my] follower.

79

The Torah, "Yemei Chanukah hem yemei hoda'ah, bechinat Todah/The days of Chanukkah are days of thanksgiving, the aspect of the thanksgiving offering" etc. in LM II #2:
This Torah he delivered on Shabbat Chanukkah, the year in which he had returned from Lemberg, and according to my humble knowledge, he drew into it the aspect of the tikkun of korban todah/thanksgiving offering, which he needed to bring for having returned home from there in peace. For, this is an extremely big and wonderful salvation for us and all Yisrael, for had he remained there in Lemberg, his light might have been put out completely, God forbid, and we would not have heard all the awesome things that he revealed to us afterwards in his Torahs and conversations which he gave afterwards, especially the stories, as the main part of the long stories he revealed to us afterwards, especially "The Seven Beggars." And we definitely ought to bring a korban todah for such a salvation. Also, several times after returning from Lemberg we heard from him z"l that he gave praise and thanksgiving to Hashem Yitbarakh for returning from there. And during the trip, whenever he arrived at some place where he had previously been when traveling there, he would say that it is fitting to praise Hashem Yitbarakh for bringing [me] back here, to be in these places; for I thought, God forbid, I would not be back to see them any more.

80

What is stated there, at the end of the verse, "Vayhi miketz" according to the statement of our Rabbis z"l regarding Bar Bei Rav de'Chad Yoma:
This came about through a prestigious person from the young populace who traveled to him for Shabbat Chanukkah from Brailov but became held up in Nemirov and did not arrive for that Shabbat, but after Shabbat he arrived here. And Rabbeinu z"l, when he said the aforementioned Torah, "Yemei Chanukkah," did not finish explaining the text, "Vayhi miketz" in accord with that Torah, until that man came after Shabbat; then he began to explain that scripture according to the statement of our Rabbis z"l regarding Bar Bei Rav de'Chad Yoma. And he was of the same concept, for this man was really a bar bei rav de'chad yoma, a one-day student [lit. one-day son of the rav's house], for he was not with him on Shabbat but only after it during the week, on Sunday only. And we saw wonders of Hashem, that specifically through him were stated these things, which have pertinence to him, and they are alluded to in the aforementioned scripture.

And it is impossible to explain what is in my heart about this. For, all his words were extremely and awesomely weighed out, as explained elsewhere [see #348, 362, 389]. Also, this is a time when I saw this, for before Shabbat he did not at all make revelation on the scripture, "Vayhi miketz," for the revelation of the Torah is according to the souls that are in his presence then [as explained in the Torah "Ashrei" in LM #13; and also in the Torah "Tish`ah Tikkunim," LM #20]. And afterwards when this man came, then he revealed the explanation of the beginning of the scripture according to that Torah, namely "Vayhi miketz" etc. as explained in its place; see there. But the rest of the scripture he did not finish explaining. And I very much pressed him to explain the rest to us, but he was not willing whatsoever. And then I saw how each and every utterance is let out by weight, according to the souls and their aspirations, etc. Also, what is explained there regarding the four things which Rabbi Eliezer used as proof, which are "Let the carob prove" etc. — the revelation of these things as well he did not reveal at the time of this Torah's delivery — only in general — but he did not elucidate them explicitly as they are explained now, until his brother Rabbi Yechiel z"l came with some more people who also traveled [to come] for this Shabbat but were delayed as well. And afterwards when they came, then specifically he revealed this matter, and he explained those four things according to that Torah, in detail, as mentioned.

[#81-103] New Stories

81

5565/1805 I was standing by the table and leaning over the sea, and all the nations and kings stood gazing and were amazed. It's the "Table of Kings," the "Sea of Wisdom," for I will reveal such wisdom that even etc.

(א) שנת תקס"ה הייתי עומד סמוך על השלחן ושוחה בים וכל האמות וכל המלכים עמדו והסתכלו ותמהו הינו שלחן מלכים, ים החכמה, שאגלה חכמה שאפלו וכו':

82

5567/1807 Breslev, Parashat Wayhi, after I made Kiddush haLevanah by myself, and he told me, "If you'd be joyful it would be a great benefit to the world!"

Then he told how he dreamt that there was a multitude of soldiers in motion, and an exaggeratedly great many birds were flying after them, and I asked the person beside me side why the birds following them are flying. He told me they're going to help those soldiers. I asked, "How can they help them?" He answered me that these birds deposit from themselves a moist secretion, whereby the enemy pass away; this is how they help the army. This was puzzling to me — wherever they're leaving the secretion, isn't that where the army is also, and won't they be harmed as well?

(ב) שנת תקס"ז ברסלב פרשת ויחי אחר שהייתי מקדש הלבנה בעצמי, ואמר לי אם הייתם שמחים היה טובה גדולה להעולם.

אחר כך ספר זאת שראה בחלום היו הולכים חילות רבות מאד והיו פורחים אחריהם צפרים רבים מאד גזמא גדולה, ושאלתי לאותו שאצלי על מה הם פורחים הצפרים שאחריהם ואמר לי שהולכים לעזר לאותן החילות. ושאלתי איך יעזרו להם והשיב לי שהצפרים האלו מניחין מעצמם לחה שעל ידי אותה הלחה נסתלקים שכנגדם ובזה הם עוזרים לאותן החילות. והיה קשה לי זאת הלא במקום ההוא שמניחין הלחה נמצאים אותן החילות גם כן שם ויזיק להם גם כן.

Meanwhile I saw the birds started to come down, till they all stood on the earth, and they walked after the soldiers and were collecting from the earth with their mouths. The thing they were collecting was something round and not a food item. It puzzled me how these birds could follow along with the soldiers, for in walking a man goes faster than the birds; also what is this that they're collecting? And they told me that from what they collect is produced the aforementioned secretion that kills the opposing ones as mentioned, and wherever they deposit the secretion causes the enemies to die on the spot. (Many things puzzled me about this and I don't remember them.)

בתוך כך ראיתי והתחילו הצפרים להוריד עצמן למטה עד שעמדו כלם על הארץ, והלכו אחרי החילות והיו מלקטים מן הארץ בפיהם. והדבר שלקטו היה דבר עגל ולא היה דבר מאכל. והיה קשה לי איך יבואו וילכו אלו הצפרים אחרי החילות, כי בהליכה האדם הולך מהרה יותר מן הצפרים, ומהו זה שמלקטים. ואמרו לי שזה שמלקטים מזה נעשה לחה הנ"ל שממית אותן שכנגדם כנ"ל, ובכל מקום שמניחין הלחה על ידי זה נסתלקים ומתים שכנגדם במקום שהם (והיה קשה לי בזה כמה דברים ואיני זוכרם).

I went in a hidden place and, and saw a very low entrance. I went in and there were no windows in that room and it was dark. But I went in there, as I wanted to hide, and I hid. Meanwhile all the birds started coming in, and I wanted to drive them out and I was shooing them with my hands. But a shunra [cat] was in their way, and birds usually flee from a cat; this is why they all entered the room. All my shooing them with my hands was to no avail because of the cat.

ונכנסתי למקום מצנע וראיתי שהיה פתח נמך מאד, ונכנסתי לשם ושכבתי עצמי שם ולא היו שום חלונות באותו החדר, והיה שם חשך. ונכנסתי לשם שהייתי רוצה להתחבא ונחבאתי שם. בתוך כך התחילו לכנס לשם כל הצפרים, והייתי רוצה לגרשם והייתי מפריחם בידי, ועמדה שונרא [חתול] בפניהם ודרך הצפרים לברח מפני השונרא ומחמת זה נכנסו כלם לתוך החדר. וכל מה שהייתי מפריחם בידי לא הועיל מחמת השונרא.

And I asked, "Why do they come here?" They said they com here to get the pox (אבעבועות). And the told me the pus from the pox is the secretion that kills the opponents. I asked, "Can't some of them also die from the pox?" And they said actually that's true, and those corpses of them that die harms the place where they die. And I suffered a great deal, for I feared lest I die, God forbid, from the putridity of the corpses. For there were a great many birds there, so I was praying to Hashem Yithbarakh for this. Meanwhile the pox passed over them and they regained their health. A bird flew off in joy and they all flew off like him, and a shout went out in the world, "Mazal tov, Mazal tov!" And I too yelled, "Mazal tov!"

ושאלתי על מה הם באין לכאן, ואמרו לי שהם באין לכאן להיות להם פאקין [אבעבועות]. ושאלתי למה זה ואמרו לי שהלחה של הפאקין, היא הלחה הנ"ל שממיתה אותם שכנגדם. ושאלתי הלא מפאקין יכולים למות מהם גם כן ואמרו לי שכן הוא באמת, ומאותן הנבלות שמתין מהם זה מזיק לאותו המקום שהם מתים שם. והיה לי צער גדול, כי יראתי שלא אגוע חס ושלום מסרחון הנבלות, כי היו שם צפרים הרבה מאד, והייתי מתפלל להשם יתברך על זה. בתוך כך עברו עליהם הפאקין וחזרו לבריתן ופרח משם צפור בשמחה וכן פרחו כלם אחריו, ונעשה צעקה בעולם מזל טוב מזל טוב, וגם אני שאגתי מזל טוב:

83

This is what he told at the beginning of Summer 5564/1804. He spoke up and said, "I'll tell you what I saw, and you will tell it to your children."

Someone was lying on the ground, and around him sat people in circle, and around the circle another circle, and around that circle another circle, and so on, many circles. And around them sat several other people not in order. And the one who sat in the middle (in other words, leaning on his side), moved his lips, and all those around him, their lips followed his.

(ג) מה שספר תחלת קיץ תקס"ד ענה ואמר אספר לכם מה שראיתי ותספרו לבניכם.

אחד היה שוכב על הארץ וסביבו היו יושבים עגול וסביב העגול עוד עגול וסביב העגול עוד עגול, וכן עוד כמה עגולים, וסביבם היו יושבים עוד כמה אנשים בלי סדר. ואותו שהיה יושב באמצע (כלומר שהיה יושב מטה על צדו) היה עושה בשפתיו וכלם סביבו היו עושים בשפתותיהם אחריו.

Later I looked and behold, he's no more (the one in the middle), and all those sitting around him stopped moving their lips, and I asked, What is this? They said he got cold and passed away, so he stopped talking and they stopped talking.

ואחר כך ראיתי והנה איננו (אותו האמצעי) וכלם היושבים סביבו הפסיקו לעשות בשפתותיהם, ושאלתי מה זה. השיבו לי שנתקרר ונגוע ופסק מלדבר והפסיקו מלדבר.

Then they all started running, and I ran after them. And I saw two palaces, that is, very nice, beautiful buildings. In there sat two officers, against whom they started making charges, "Why have you deceived us?!" And they wanted to kill them, and the officers ran outside. And I saw them, and their nature [mahut] appealed to me a great deal, and I ran after them.

ואחר כך התחילו כלם לרוץ ורצתי אחריהם. וראיתי שני פאלאצין [ארמונות] הינו בנינים נאים יפים מאד, ושם היו יושבים שני שררות והם רצו לשם להשררות והתחילו לטען עמהם למה התעיתם אותנו, ורצו להרגם, וברחו השררות לחוץ. וראיתים והוטב בעיני מאד מהות שלהם. ורצתי אחריהם.

And I saw from afar a beautiful tent. From there, they shouted to the officers, "Go back, and request all the merits that you have, and carry them in your hands. And go to HaNeR/ the Lamp that hangs there, and there you will accomplish all that you wish."

וראיתי מרחוק אהל יפה. וצעקו משם להשררות חזרו לאחוריכם, ובקשתם כל הזכיות שיש לכם ונטלתם בידכם. ותלכו להנר התלוי שם, ושם תפעלו כל מה שתרצו.

They turned back and received their merits; there were bundles of merits there, and they ran to the light, and I ran after them, and I saw a (lit) NeR/ Lamp hanging in the air. The officers came and cast their merits to the Lamp, and sparks fell from the Lamp into their mouths. The Lamp changed back and became a NaHaR/ River.

וחזרו לאחוריהם וקבלו הזכיות שלהם והיו שם חבילות זכיות, ורצו להנר ורצתי אחריהם וראיתי נר (דלוק) תלוי באויר, ובאו השררות והשליכו הזכיות אל הנר ונפלו מהנר ניצוצות לתוך פיהם. והחזיר עצמו הנר ונעשה מהנר נהר ושתו כלם מהנהר.

And they became creatures inside them, and when they opened up to talk, the creatures came out. I saw them running and returning; they were neither any sort of man nor animal, just creatures.

ונעשו בריות בקרבם, וכשפתחו לדבר יצאו מהם הבריות. וראיתים רצים ושבים ואינם מין אדם ולא מין חיה רק בריות.

Then they decided to return to their place. But they said, How can we go back to our place? One replied, "Let us send to the one who stands there and holds a sword [extending] from heaven to earth. They said, "Who should we send?" They decided to send for the creatures, and the creatures went there, and I ran after them.

ואחר כך התיעצו לחזר למקומם. ואמרו איך נוכל לחזר למקומנו. ענה אחד נשלח להאחד העומד שם ואוחז חרב משמים לארץ. ואמרו את מי נשלח. והתיעצו לשלח להבריות והלכו הבריות לשם ורצתי אחריהם.

And I saw him, dreadful, standing from heaven to earth, with his sword in his hand from heaven to earth, and it has several blades. Namely, one edge, meaning a blade, for killing; one edge for poverty, one edge for weakness, and so forth for other punishments.

וראיתי אותו מאים עומד משמים לארץ וחרבו בידו משמים לארץ, ולה כמה פיות. הינו פה אחד הינו חד (שקורין שארף) למיתה, ופה אחד על עניות ופה אחד על חלשות. וכן כמה פיות על שאר ענשים.

And they [the creatures] started to ask, "Such a long time we have sufferings from you. Now be a help to us and bring us to our place." (But he said, "I cannot help you."). And they asked, "Give us the blade of death and we will kill them," but he did not want. They asked for another blade but he did not want to give them any blade, and they went back. Meanwhile came an order to kill the officers, and they decapitated them.

והתחילו לבקש שזה זמן רב היו לנו יסורים ממך. עתה היה לנו לעזר והבא אותנו אל מקומנו (ואמר איני יכול לעזר אתכם) ובקשו, תן לנו הפה של מיתה ונהרג אותם ולא רצה. ובקשו פה אחר ולא רצה לתן להם שום פה (הינו שארף) וחזרו. בתוך כך בא פקדה להרג את השררות והסירו את ראשם.

Meanwhile the story goes again as before, that someone was lying on the ground as mentioned, surrounded by circles etc., and the officers fled etc.; everything as mentioned. Only, now I saw that to officers did not cast their merits to the Lamp. Rather, they took their merits, went to the Lamp, and broke their hearts and began requesting and entreating before the Lamp.

בתוך כך חזר המעשה כשהיה, שהיה אחד שוכב על הארץ כנ"ל וסביבו עגולים וכו' ורצו להשררות וכו' הכל כנזכר. רק עתה ראיתי שהשררות לא השליכו הזכיות אל הנר. רק לקחו הזכיות והלכו להנר ושברו את לבם והתחילו לבקש בתחנונים לפני הנר.

And sparks fell from the Lamp into their mouths, and they entreated some more, and HaNeR/ the Lamp became a NaHaR/River etc., and the creatures were formed as mentioned. And they told me these ones would live, for the first ones incurred execution for casting their merits at the Lamp, rather than beseeching in pleading like these did.

ונפלו ניצוצות מהנר לתוך פיהם, ובקשו בתחנונים עוד, ונעשה מהנר נהר וכו' ונעשו הבריות כנ"ל ואמרו לי שאלו יחיו, כי הראשונים נתחיבו הריגה על שהשליכו הזכיות להנר ולא בקשו בתחנונים כמו אלו.

And I didn't know what this is, and they told me, "Go to this room and they'll tell you an explanation of this."

ולא ידעתי מה זה, ואמרו לי לך אל החדר הזה ויאמרו לך פרוש על זה.

I went there, and sitting there was an ZaQeN/ elder and I asked him about this. He gripped his ZaQeN/ beard in his hand and told me, "Behold, my beard is an explanation of the story. And I asked, "I still don't know."

והלכתי לשם והיה יושב שם זקן אחד ושאלתיו על זה. ותפס זקנו בידו ואמר לי הרי זקני היא פרוש על המעשה. ושאלתיו איני יודע עדין.

He said to me, "Go to this room and there you'll find an explanation." I went there and saw a room infinitely long and wide, filled entirely with writings, and wherever I opened I saw an explanation of this story.

ואמר לי לך אל החדר הזה ושם תמצא פרוש. והלכתי לשם וראיתי החדר ארך ורחב עד אין קץ וכלו מלא כתבים, ובכל מקום שפתחתי ראיתי פרוש על המעשה.

---

All this, I heard directly from his holy mouth. And he said that all his Torah lessons contain hints from this story. And the Torah that begins, "Tish`a tikkunim", in LM #20 is in its entirety an explanation of this story.

כל זה שמעתי מפיו הקדוש פה אל פה. ואמר שכל התורות שהוא אומר יש בהם רמזים מהמעשה הזאת. והתורה המתחלת תשעה תקונין בלקוטי א' סימן כ' הוא כלו פרוש על זאת המעשה.

A keen person will discern there, many wondrous hints from this story; see there. What it explains there, that the heart is opened, in the aspect of (Ps. 105), "Pathach tzur we'yazuvu mayim/ He opened a rock and waters flowed out," see there, the aspect of the rivers mentioned. Discern there thoroughly the entire lesson, and you'll be able to discern just some hints of this vision.

והמשכיל יבין שם כמה רמזים נפלאים מזאת המעשה עין שם מה שמבאר שם שנפתח הלב, בבחינת (תהלים קה) פתח צור ויזובו מים עין שם, בחינות נהרות הנ"ל. והבן שם כל התורה היטב ותזכה להבין איזה רמזים בעלמא בזאת המראה הנ"ל.

The one who was lying on the ground and then he [Rabbi Nachman] looked and behold he's no more, and they answered him that he got cold and passed away — this is the aspect of the soul explained in the aforementioned Torah, beset with sufferings, "Pat bemelach tokhel.. We`al ha-aretz tishan/Bread with salt you shall eat.. and on the ground you shall sleep." (Avot 6:4)

זה שהיה שוכב על הארץ ואחר כך ראה והנה איננו והשיבו לו שנתקרר ונגוע. זה בחינת הנשמה המבאר בהתורה הנ"ל שהיא מסבלת ביסורין פת במלח תאכל עין שם, ואפשר מרמז על מה שנאמר שם במשנה (אבות ו) אחר פת במלח תאכל וכו' ועל הארץ תישן.

Perhaps this is the hinted of what is written above, that he was lying on the ground, surrounded by many circles and many others not-in-order, for everyone receives from this soul, for all the Torah explanations are drawn by it. And perhaps this is why it hints they were moving their lips, namely revealing these Torah explanations. And therefore when he got cold and passed away, this one in the middle, who hints to this soul, consequently they all stopped moving their lips and talking, for when this soul cools off, which is the aspect of it passing away, then there is no power to draw Torah explanations, as explained in that lesson. Look there thoroughly.

ואפשר לזה מרמז מה שכתוב לעיל שהיה שוכב על הארץ וסביבות הנ"ל כמה עגולים וכמה בלי סדר. כי כלם מקבלים מהנשמה הנ"ל, כי כל באורי התורה נמשך על ידה. ואפשר זהו שמרמז שהיו עושים בשפתותיהם הינו שהיו מגלים באורי התורה הנ"ל ועל כן כשנתקרר ונגוע האמצעי הנ"ל שהוא מרמז להנשמה הנ"ל על כן הפסיקו כלם לעשות בשפתותיהם ולדבר כי כשהנשמה הזאת נצטננת שהוא בחינת הסתלקות שלה אזי אין כח להמשיך באורי התורה כמבאר במאמר הנ"ל עין שם היטב.

Take note with great inspection of the above story and that Torah, and you can be privy to discern many more awesome hints.

ודוק מאד בעיון גדול במעשה הנ"ל ובהתורה הנ"ל, ותזכה להבין עוד כמה רמזים נוראים.

Their running to the officers and making claim against them, that is the idea of dispute and altercation, this is the aspect of controversy about the tzaddikim, resulting from the cessation of Torah explanations. Perhaps the officers allude to Moshe and Aharon, who passed away because of "Mei-Meriva/ waters of strife" (Num. 20:13 et. al.) for making the mistake explained there in that Torah, that they did not beseech with supplications. Understand this well.

וזה שרצו להשררות והתחילו לטען עמהם הינו ענין מריבה וקטטה זה בחינת מחלקת שנעשה על הצדיקים על ידי הסתלקות באורי התורה ואפשר שהשררות מרמזים על משה ואהרן שנסתלקו בשביל מי מריבה על שטעו הטעות המבאר שם בהתורה הנ"ל שלא בקשו בתחנונים והבן היטב.

The concept of the Lamp, which dropped sparks into their mouths, and the Lamp (HaNeR) became a River (NaHaR) etc., this is the aspect of "hot words" drawn from the Supernal Heart (Lev ha`Elyon) by arousing Hashem Yithbarakh's compassionate goodness on him, and the Lev ha`Elyon opening, and speech influxing from the Lev ha`Elyon, and thereby drawing the Torah explanations also from there, in the aspect of (Ps. 105:41), "Pathach tzur we'yazuvu mayim/ He opened a rock and out flowed waters" etc.

וענין הנר שנפלו ניצוצות בתוך פיהם וחזר הנר ונעשה נהר וכו', זה בחינת דבורים חמים שממשיכים מלב העליון על ידי שנכמרו רחמי השם יתברך עליו ונפתח לב העליון ונשפע מלב העליון דבורים, ועל ידי זה ממשיך באורי התורה גם כן משם, בבחינת פתח צור ויזובו מים וכו'.

And this is the aspect of HaNeR/the Lamp becoming NaHar/River, for the Lamp hints to the Heart which is the Burning Lamp, as is known. And initially sparks fell from there into their mouths, this is the aspect of "Hot Words" drawn from the Heart that is called "Lamp" in that story, as is known. Then HaNeR/ this Lamp itself becaame NaHaR/ River, this is the aspect of Torah explanations that are also drawn from the Heart, which is the aspect of Lamp. In the aspect of (Ps. 105:41), "Pathach tzur we'yazuvu mayim," as mentioned.

וזה בחינת מה שחזר הנר ונעשה נהר, כי הנר מרמז על הלב שהוא נר דלוק כידוע. ובתחלה נפלו ניצוצות משם לתוך פיהם זה בחינת דבורים חמים שנמשך מהלב שנקרא בהמעשה הנ"ל נר כנ"ל. ואחר כך זה הנר בעצמו חזר ונעשה נהר, זה בחינת באורי התורה שנמשך גם כן מהלב שהוא בחינת נר. בבחינת פתח צור ויזובו מים כנ"ל.

Their tossing up their merits, is their mentioning their merits and good deeds. And they used the "matteh-`oz/ staff of strength" for drawing Torah. This is the mistake they made, as explained there; see there.

ומה שהשליכו הזכיות הינו שהזכירו הזכיות והמעשים טובים שלהם. והשתמשו במטה עז בשביל המשכת התורה. וזהו הטעות שטעו כמבאר שם עין שם.

And the creatures that were formed inside them and which emerged when they opened their mouths, this is the aspect of the spiritual forces, which are the mal'akhim/ angels / messengers that were formed from the letters of their new Torah teachings. And they receive power from Edom, who is the aspect of the one described in the story, holding the sword in his hand. For he is appointed in charge of the sword, and he is appointed over all the punishments wherewith to punish the wicked. And this is the aspect of the many kinds of edges and blades his sword has. Sometimes it's necessary to punish the wicked by sword and killing, sometimes with other punishments. As explained there in that Torah.

והבריות שנעשו בקרבם ואחר כך כשפתחו פיהם יצאו. זה בחינת כחות הרוחניות שהן המלאכים שנבראים מאותיות התורה שמחדשין. והם מקבלים כח מאדום. שהוא בחינת זה שאוחז החרב בידו המבאר מהמעשה. כי הוא ממנה על החרב, והוא ממנה על כל הענשים לענש הרשעים. וזה בחינת כמה מיני פיות וחדודין שיש לחרבו, לפעמים צריכין לענש הרשעים בחרבא ובקטלא, ולפעמים בענשים אחרים. כמבאר שם בהתורה הנ"ל.

But because of the blemish and error he did not want to give them any edge or blade of the sword, for he did not want to give them any power. As in, "WaYomer... lo-ta`avor bi/ And [Edom told Moshe] you will not pass through me" (Num. :18) etc. Read there thoroughly. For it is necessary to break one's heart specifically, and plead in supplications. And even though they carry in their hands their merits, namely the matteh oz, this is for a different matter: to subdue the evil in the community. But drawing Torah needs to educed by praying for kindness and by pleading.

ומחמת הפגם והטעות לא רצה לתן להם שום פה וחד (הינו שארף) מהחרב, כי לא רצה לתן להם שום כח בחינת ויאמר לא תעבר בי וכו' עין שם היטב, כי צריכין לשבר הלב דוקא ולבקש בתחנונים. ואף על פי שלוקחין בידם הזכיות הינו המטה עז, הוא בשביל ענין אחר להכניע הרע שבעדה, אבל המשכת התורה צריכין להמשיך ברחמים ותחנונים.

So, thoroughly inspect that Torah in the utmost. Then in this story you will discern more wondrous hints, and see as many wonders of Hashem as your comprehension allows. How utterly deep are his thought! If indeed after all this we extract only some hints, still the things are infinitely hidden and sealed. Nonetheless whatever is possible for us to comprehend, whatever allusion in this wondrous and awesome vision — how good for the soul!

ודוק היטב מאד בהתורה הנ"ל, ובהמעשה ותבין עוד רמזים נפלאים ותראה נפלאות השם לפי השגתך, מה מאד עמקו מחשבותיו, אם אמנם אחר כל זה אף אם מוצאים איזה רמזים בעלמא, עדין הדברים סתומים וחתומים עד עת קץ. עם כל זה מה שאפשר לנו להשיג איזה רמז בעלמא במראה נפלאה ונוראה כזו, מה טוב להנשמה.

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For, it is a great privilege for a person to have his thoughts roam the words of Rabbeinu of blessed memory, holy and awesome; no one compares to him. And it's impossible to tell his holy praise without blemishing his honor, God forbid, for "whoever adds, detracts." Like a king whom they praise [for his thousand silver dinars, whilst he has a thousand gold ones] (Ber. 33b). And whatever praise of Rabbeinu of blessed memory, the utterly holy and awesome, is found in our words, people should know it amounts to virtually nothing; it is not even like a drop in the ocean, for it is impossible to tell his praise at all, for he was concealed in uttermost concealment from human intellect. Even great tzaddikim have been unable to comprehend a bit of his loftiness. So we haven't at all any comprehension or grasp of him, except by the bit of wondrous Torahs he revealed in his holy books, and the awesome stories brought here. From this, each person as much as he can fit in his heart can discern a tiniest bit how far the apex of this power and holiness reach, up to infinity. Fortunate is the child of woman who has attained such a level that ascends beyond high, what the mouth cannot speak nor the heart think.

כי הוא זכות גדול להאדם כשזוכה שיהיו מחשבותיו משוטטות בדברי רבנו זכרונו לברכה הקדוש והנורא מאד אשר אין ערך אליו. ואי אפשר לספר בשבחו הקדוש שלא לפגם בכבודו חס ושלום כי כל המוסיף גורע. משל למלך שמקלסין אותו וכו' (עין ברכות לג:) וכל מה שנמצא בדברינו איזה שבח על רבנו זכרונו לברכה הקדוש והנורא מאד, צריכין לידע שהכל נחשב כלא, ואינו אפלו כטפה מן הים הגדול, כי אי אפשר לספר בשבחו כלל, כי היה נעלם בתכלית ההעלם משכל אנושי. ואפלו צדיקים גדולים אי אפשר להם להשיג מקצת מעלתו. ואין לנו שום השגה ותפיסה בו כלל כי אם על ידי קצת התורות הנפלאים שגלה בספריו הקדושים, והמעשיות הנוראות המובאים פה. ומזה יכול כל חד כפום מה דמשער בלבה להבין קצת מעט מזער עד היכן מגיע רום תקפו וקדשתו עד אין תכלית. אשרי ילוד אשה שזכה למעלה כזו העולה למעלה למעלה, מה שאין הפה יכול לדבר והלב לחשב.

And if indeed it were nonetheless possible to relate a little of his holy praises, what little we saw with our eyes, alas a prudent person keeps silent due to the enormous controversy about him during his life.

ואם אמנם אף על פי כן היה אפשר לספר קצת בשבחיו הקדושים מה שראינו בעינינו קצת. אך המשכיל כעת ידם מחמת המחלקת הגדולה שהיתה עליו בחייו.

(Pertaining to the above) And this is their requesting [Edom] for a blade of death, and he did not want to give, and they asked for a different blade, and he was also unwilling. For [the two officers] wanted to punish them with sword and killing, and he did not want to give them this power, and they asked in any case a different punishment for the wicked, and he was totally unwilling — all because of this error. And their asking that he give them power to be able to go back, this alludes to entering Eretz Yisrael, for hey need to receive from him some power to punish the wicked in order to enter Eretz Yisrael. Understand well. Their telling the one with the sword in his hand that such a long time they're suffering from him, this is the aspect that they told Edom (Num. :14): "Atah yada`ta eth-kol ha-tela'ah asher metzathanu/ You know all the travail that has befallen us" — "you" specifically, because all the punishments are by him; see there in that Torah. The elder saying his beard is explanation of the story: because that whole Torah hints to the aspect of zaqqen/ elder / beard, as Rabbeinu of blessed memory explained, that everything hints to "Tish`ah tikkunim yaqqirin ithmasrin l'diqna / Nine precious repairs are transmitted to the Beard" [Z. Idra Rabba], as thoroughly explained there. Consequently afterwards, when this story started over again, that someone was lying on the ground etc., then the officers were careful to not cast their merits at the Lamp, but rather took their merits and went to HaNeR/the Lamp and broke their hearts and started beseeching in prayer for grace. So they said these ones will live. For the first ones incurred death for casting their merits at the Lamp and not asking entreating like these, as described above. For the essence of Moshe Rabbeinu's error was not drawing the waters of Torah by goodly and gracious prayers, rather than by the matteh `oz/ power rod, which is the aspect of striking the rock etc. (ibid. :11), as he explains there. Therefore this time they were careful to speak and ask only in prayers for goodness and grace and thereby they lived. Let it be His will our Righteous Messiah come soon in our days and bring us in peace to the holy Eretz Yisrael and then all will be right, Soon in our days, Amen!

(שיך לעיל) וזה שבקשו פה הינו שארף של מיתה, ולא רצה לתן, ובקשו פה אחר ולא רצה גם כן. כי רצו לענש אותם בחרבא וקטלא, ולא רצה לתן להם זה הכח, ובקשו על כל פנים ענש אחר לענש את הרשעים ולא רצה כלל, הכל מחמת הטעות הנ"ל. וזה שבקשו שיתן להם כח כדי שיוכלו לחזר, זה מרמז שיבואו לארץ ישראל, כי הם צריכין לקבל ממנו איזה כח לענש הרשעים כדי לבוא לארץ ישראל והבן היטב. וזה שאמרו לזה שהחרב בידו שזה זמן רב היה להם יסורים ממנו, זה בחינת מה שאמרו לאדום (במדבר כ): "אתה ידעת את כל התלאה אשר מצאתנו", אתה דיקא כי כל הענשים על ידו עין שם בהתורה הנ"ל. וזה שאמר הזקן שזקנו הוא פרוש על המעשה כי כל התורה הנ"ל מרמז בבחינת זקן כמו שבאר רבנו זכרונו לברכה שהכל מרמז בתשעה תקונין יקירין אתמסרין לדקנא, כמבאר שם היטב. ועל כן אחר כך כשחזר נעשה מעשה הנ"ל שהיה אחד שוכב על הארץ וכו' אז נשמרו השררות ולא השליכו הזכיות אל הנר, רק לקחו הזכיות והלכו להנר ושברו את לבם, והתחילו לבקש בתחנונים. ואמרו שאלו יחיו, כי הראשונים נתחיבו הריגה על שהשליכו הזכיות להנר ולא בקשו בתחנונים כמו אלו, הינו כנ"ל. שעקר הטעות של משה רבנו היה שלא המשיך מימי התורה על ידי רחמים ותחנונים, רק על ידי מטה עז, שזה בחינת הכאת הצור וכו' כמו שמבאר שם. ועל כן עתה נשמרים לדבר ולבקש רק ברחמים ותחנונים ועל ידי זה יחיו. יהי רצון שיבוא משיח צדקנו במהרה בימינו ויביאנו לשלום לארץ ישראל הקדושה ואז יתקן הכל במהרה בימינו אמן:

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What he told shortly before Rosh Hashanah 5569, at the end of summer 5568, at which time the shochet of Teplik brought him a wonderful chair: close to this time he told this, that he saw it in a vision or a dream that they brought him a chair, and it was surrounded by fire. And the whole world, men, women and chilren, went to see it, and when they returned from there then immediately they became interconnected and matches were made amongst them. And all the leaders of the generation also went to see it. And I asked how far is it, and why matches were immediately made. And I went around them to get there, and I heard that Rosh Hashanah was fast approaching. And I had doubt whether to turn back or to remain there, and I was confused in mind, and I said in my heart, "How shall I remain here for Rosh Hashanah?" but in my mind I said, "Considering the frail body that I have, why should I turn back?" So I was there, and I came to the chair and I saw there Rosh Hashanah — the real Rosh Hashanah. And also Yom Kippur, the actual Yom Kippur. And also Sukkot, the real Sukkot. I also heard that they were shouting, "Chodsheikhem umo`adeikhem son'ah nafshi/ My soul hates your new moons and your festivals." "What [right] do you [plural] have to judge the world? Rosh Hashanah itself will judge." And they all fled; they fled with all the leaders of the generation.

And I saw that engraved on the chair were the forms of all the world's creatures, and each one was engraved with his mate next to him, and for this reason matches are immediately made, for each one found and saw his partner there. And because I had studied it during in the preceding days, the verse came to my mind, "Korsyeh Shevivin Di-Nur/His throne was fiery flames" [Dan. 7:9] — acrostic for ShaDKhaN, matchmaker. For, by means of the chair, matches were made, as mentioned; and also, KoRSYeH is acrostic for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot. And therefore on Shemini `Atzeret is the "marital union" of the "Supernal Matron" [v. Zohar III 96b-97a].

And I asked "What shall be my livelihood?" And they told me that I would be a matchmaker.

And the fire surrounded it roundabout, for in truth, Rosh Hashanah is a big favor, for it is an appointed time when the moon is hidden, of which is it said, "Bring an atonement for Me" [Chullin 60b]. And it is a big favor for the world, because through this we can request atonement on Rosh Hashanah.

And see all this in the Torah "Tik`u Vachodesh Shofar — Vayiven Hashem Elohim et-Hatzela`," which speaks of the roots of the souls that are included in the Throne; see there thoroughly in LM II #1, for it is an explanation of this story, for that Torah was given on the Rosh Hashanah following this story. And the things and very closed up and hidden; also a little is missing, for it was not written in full.

And one time he spoke regarding these stories, and he mentioned this matter, the connection of this story with that Torah. How very awesome, wonderful and exalted is this matter for one who has a heart to discern. Then he said, "If you [plural] are not happy, I don't know what is with you!" In other words, it is proper for us to anyway be extremely happy at all times now that we have been privileged to taste such awesome lights, etc. And after he told this story, he said that "You [plural] will be able to say Torah teachings about it all the days of your lives," and he scolded us for not being happy and he said that we ought to be very, very happy.

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In the year 5681 after lighting the Chanukah candle at night, a guest entered the home of the homeowner. He asked the homeowner, "Where do you get your livelihood?" The homeowner replied, "I have no fixed source of income in my home, only my life from this world." The guest then asked him what he studied, and the homeowner answered him. They talked until they entered the realm of words that come from the heart, and the homeowner began to behave very troubled as to how to achieve the highest level in holiness. The guest said to him, "I will learn with you," and the homeowner was amazed and began to think that perhaps he was not even human. However, he returned and saw that he was talking to him like any other human being. But soon his faith in him strengthened, and he began to call him "Rabbi" and said to him, "First of all, I want to learn from you how to behave with honor towards you. Needless to say, I greatly honor you, but it is difficult for me to be completely careful as I should be. Therefore, I want you to teach me how to behave with honor towards you." He replied, "I don't have time right now. I will come to you later and teach you this. But now I need to go." The guest said to him, "I also need to learn from you how much I need to accompany you." The homeowner replied, "I don't have time now. When I am free, I will come to you and teach you this. For now, I must go." The guest asked him, "Do you want me to accompany you?" The homeowner replied, "If I can, can you teach me now something that I can do for you?"

Eventually, the homeowner gave the guest some clothing and wished him well. Later, as he looked out the window, he saw the guest again and asked him to come back to him. The guest replied by saying that when he decided to leave with him, he took his soul and gave it clothes from the lower Eden Garden, but his spirit remained with the homeowner. And when the homeowner thinks of him in earnest, he will receive enlightenment from him, but when he returns to him, he will be there. The homeowner admitted that he had no idea what world he was from, but it was certainly a good one, and it was not over yet.

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In his dream, he saw a group of Jews gathered with a leader who was very prominent in the world. A decree was issued to kill all the Jews, and the leader fell upon a plan that required him to shave off his beard. He went to an artisan and had the old man shave his beard along with his payot (side curls). Later they found out that the decree was not issued at all. The shame that came upon the leader was unbearable. He couldn't face the world anymore and had to flee. The humiliation and disgrace of having to shave his beard and side locks were tremendous, and he couldn't explain it to anyone. He had to stay with this old man until his beard grew back. That's what was shown to him in his dream.

87

In the year 5544 (1784), on the night following the holy Sabbath, I had a dream. I found myself in a city that appeared very large in my dream. Suddenly, a great righteous man, greater than the ancient righteous men, arrived in the city. Everyone went to him, and I also went to him. I saw that all of them passed by him without giving him any greetings, and it seemed like they did it intentionally. I was very surprised that they would be so disrespectful towards someone I knew to be a great righteous man. I asked myself how they could have such audacity to not greet him intentionally. The explanation that seemed plausible to me was that he was indeed a great righteous man, but he had a physical body that was collected from various places, which was in a state of transmutation. However, the man himself was truly great and had willingly accepted to rectify this body. In the places of transmutation, they do not greet each other, and therefore, they did not greet him.

88

On a weekday, I had a dream of a wedding. There were many brides present, and one of them stood out as the most esteemed in the eyes of the world. Musicians with instruments that made melody were there as well. Then I saw a door open, and a large crowd entered the wedding hall. As they increased in number and walked, I wondered how I could enter among such a large crowd. I gathered myself and stood among them. There was a head of a yeshiva who was studying with them, and there was an immensely great honor for the Torah. The brides were dancing. The main focus was on the esteemed bride who was dancing there. Whatever the musicians were playing, she herself continued to sing that melody afterward. There was also a tremendous and wondrous honor for the Torah, which greatly amazed me. I spoke with people I knew and asked them if they had ever seen such honor for the Torah. According to appearances, they were engaged in studying simple, revealed texts. It seemed like there were many rabbis and even the books indicated that there were great books following the aforementioned style of study.

89

This is the holy discourse of our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, on the night after the Sabbath of Parashat Toldot in the year 5701 (1940) in Breslov. The entire order of the festivals throughout the year, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hoshana Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret, Hanukkah, and Purim, are all preceded by the festival of Pesach. Yet even before this, on every occasion without exception, he did not approach these festivals with the same service that he had performed in previous years. Rather, each and every time, he approached them with an entirely new approach of service that he had never experienced before. At the end of Hanukkah of the previous year, I lit the candles and fulfilled the other customs of Hanukkah with the intent of the Torah, as it is written, "Then, on all these points, his service on each occasion was according to the intent of the Torah, as specified in the Torah text." Similarly, on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and so on, his service was according to the intent of the Torah specified in the Torah text. This was with the exception of Pesach, where his service was even more exacting than what was specified in the Torah text.

90

On Purim, I became aware of wonders. Our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, answered and said, "The Torah is both concealed and revealed. At first, the Torah reveals itself to man, then it becomes hidden. But one who has a soul cycles and revolves around it, and surrenders his soul to it. He has great longings and an intense yearning, until he merits to have the Torah revealed to him. Because at first, the matter of Purim was revealed to me in a small and hidden way, and only in the supernal realms, which are very far away, was it known. Because my service on that Purim was to rectify a defect of 'kerach.' When it was revealed to me, it seemed very remote to me from any connection to the Purim holiday until Hashem helped me. For there are very hidden things in the holy Torah, and it was revealed to me that the roshei teivot (first letters) of the word 'Purim' spells out: 'v'im mip'et paneihu yimarert rosho ke'ach.' This represents the aspect of kerach (baldness), and the rest is not clearly explained. Afterwards, our teacher said that he was not able to sleep on that night because he was so upset that it was revealed to him, but he was comforted knowing that it had not been revealed to anyone else. In truth, it is not written such in the Torah, but only in this manner: 'And if on the forehead of the Nazirite, a bald spot appears,' and this is a very hidden and sealed matter. Fortunate is the one who awaits the coming of the redeemer, for then they will merit the holy discourse of our teacher.

91

Kislev 5570/1809 Here in Breslev. A Dream. I was sitting in my room [i.e. the small room where he sits], and nobody came visit me, which I thought odd. And I went out to the second room, and there as well was nobody. And I went out to the big room, and to the beis midrash, and there too there was nobody. I decided to go outside, and I saw people (bnei-odom, mortals) standing in [many] circles, whispering with one another. One scoffs at me, one is making fun of me [mesacheq bi], another is brazen against me, and so forth. And even my followers were somewhat against me; some were brazen against me, some whispered secretly about me, and so forth as above. And I called one of my followers and asked him, "What is this?" He said, "How couldst ye do that? How couldst ye possibly do such a thing?" I had no idea what it is they're mocking me about, and I asked the same man to go and gather some of our people. and he left me and I didn't see him again. I was trying to decide what to do, and I came to the decision to exile myself to some other land. So I went there, and it was the same there; the same way they were also standing there, people were, and talking about it, for there too they know the aforementioned. So I decided to live in some forest, and five of my people gathered to me and I went with them to the forest and we lived there. When we needed something to eat or so forth we would send one of these people of ours, and he bought us what we needed. I would ask him if the noise had quieted down. He replied: Not at all, the noise is still very strong.

While we were living there, an elderly man came, and he called me and said he has something to talk to me about. And I went with him, and he started talking to me. He spoke up and said, "You do such a thing — and how are you not ashamed, in the presence of your forefathers, in front of your grandfather Rabbi Nachman and in front of your great-grandfather the Baal Shem Tov obm, and how are you not embarrassed from Torat-Moshe and the Holy Patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov etc.? What do you think — you can live here? Can you live here forever? Won't your money run out, and you're a tender man, so what will you do? Do you really think you can cast away to some land? No matter what, I swear they'll know there who you are, you can't be there, they definitely won't give you money, and if they know who you are, you can't be there either, for there too they'll know about this. I answered him, "If that's how it is, that I'm cast out like this, will I have `Olam haBa?" He replied, "`Olam haBa you think you'll have? Even in Gehinnom you'll have no place to hunker, for having done such a mistake (chet). I answered him, "Go away! I thought You would console me but now you speak brash to my heart! You cause me anguish, go away!"

And this elderly man went from me, and while I sat there I came to the decision: since I've been living here such a long time, it's possible to forget entirely one's learning. So I ordered the aforementioned man whom we were sending to the city for our needs, to ask for some book there and bring it to us.

He went to the city, but brought no book, and answered [he] couldn't bring because it's definitely forbidden to disclose who needs the book, and discreetly it's impossible to find a book. And I had great affliction for being wandering and outcast and not even having a book, for one can forget his learning entirely.

Then that elder came back, carrying a book under his arms, and I asked him, "What carry ye?" I said, "Give ye the book to me," and he gave it. And I took it, and I had no idea how to position the book, and I opened the book, and I knew nothing in it, and it looked to me like a different language, and like a different script, for I knew absolutely nothing in it, just nothing. And I suffered a lot from this.

And I was afraid also because of the aforementioned people that were with me, that when they find out this they may also leave me. And I walked with him, and he began again berating as before, "How could you do that? How have you no shame? Behold, even in Gehinnom you'll have no place to hunker down," as mentioned. I told him, "If such were told to me by a person from the Upper World I would believe him." He replied, "I'm from there," and he showed me something, that he's from here. And there came to my mind what happened with the Baal Shem Tov obm, that is known, and in that instance the Baal Shem Tov obm also thought the same, that he's got no `Olam haBa, and he said, "I love Hashem Yithbarakh without `Olam haBa."

And I tossed my head to by back in utmost agony, and when I tossed my head back like that, they came to me, and gathered to me, all the aforementioned ones that the elder said to have shame before. Namely my grandfathers etc. etc. And they told me the verse (Isa. 4:2), "...וּפְרִי הָאָרֶץ לְגָאוֹן ולְתִפְאֶרֶת / Uf'ri haAretz lega'on ul'thif'e'reth / and the offspring of the Land for greatness and glory..." And they said to me, "Just the opposite — our glory will be shown in You." And they brought me all my people [and children], for my children also left me at the start of that time. And they spoke to my heart such things, the opposite of the above. My throwing my head — if there were any person who had transgressed the whole entire Torah eight hundred times, if he would throw his head in bitterness like this, [Heaven] would definitely forgive him!"

And the other good [two dreams], I wish [I could] tell you, because they're definitely good [beyond even this dream]!

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<From Kuntres haHosafoth to C"M #8:
Evening of 14 Shvat [5]570, Breslev:
He told me that he dreamt the previous night a dream so bizarre, he had never before dreamt the likes of it etc. There is an entire story to it, which he did not tell etc. There was a giant man of fire and he knew [his name] but forgot. Also, they gave him what to wear, and cautioned him to never remove the clothing at any time. Also they cautioned him to not remove the stockings ("zakin") that he's wearing. However, he doesn't pay attention to dreams. Also he was mournful before them regarding his infirmity, and he told them all about his sickness, the tuberculosis, and that his side hurts etc. And I was very happy then.>

<אור ליום י"ד שבט תק"ע ברסלב

סיפר שחלם לו בלילה של אתמול חלום משונה, שלא חלם לו חלום מימיו כזה. כי חלם לו אות וכו', ויש בזה מעשה שלימה ולא סיפר וכו'. היה אדם גדול מאש והיה יודע, אך שכח. גם נתנו לו מלבוש והזהירו אותו שלא יסיר המלבוש בשום פעם. גם הזהירו אותו שיסיר הבתי שוקיים (שקורין 'זאקען') שהוא לבוש בהם. אך אינו משגיח על חלומות. גם היה אבל לפניהם על ענין חלישותו, וסיפר להם כל ענין החולאת שלו של ההוסט שכואב לו צד הגוף וכו' והייתי שמח מאד אז>

---

<Here follows the Ma`aseh meLechem/Story of the bread..>

93

Monday 24 Iyar [5]570 in Uman, he told me the dream that appeared to him that night. He saw in the dream there was a wedding, and he too went to the wedding, and he knew the groom there. And he noticed there a man from `Olam haBa, meaning a dead person. He was astounded and thought, "If people see him won't there be a great uproar?" And he knew the name of the deceased as well, and said that these names of the groom and the dead are not proper nouns, rather they are actual names that allude to what they allude, like all the holy names. Then the people too saw this dead person, and I discussed with them, "Isn't this a dead man?" They said, "Nevertheless," and it was no wonder to them at all.

Then I saw fit to go there to a certain synagogue, as from there it will be better to watch the wedding. And I went around there [showing with his finger how he went around] and I came to the synagogue and they were singing there [i.e. at the chuppah] to the groom in these words: "This is one young man, this is the selfsame groom!" And I also know the tune and it was a beautiful tune, a happy tune. So I was watching there from that synagogue, but then there too I did not find it suitable so I went home. Arriving home I found the groom lying on the ground, and I shook him and woke him up. "Aren't they doing all that singing for you (as mentioned)? And you lie here?!" [So the subject is quite obscure. Later Rabbeinu z"l himself said it's a wonder that over there they're singing for him so much whilst here he's lying. So the thing is utterly closed and hidden.]

And he said in the dream it seemed to him the place where the synagogue is has a different name, and the place where he went home has a different name. [And he said he knew but forgot, and I'm unsure if about the tune he said he knew and forgot or about these names of the places he said he knew and forgot. But these names of the groom and the dead he said still knows them]. And he said there is more in this, things he saw in this dream.

96

He told during Elul that dreamt he wanted to enter a house to hear the shofar voice, and he passed by a house and heard them singing, clapping and dancing there a great deal, rejoicing with big jumping and dancing like people who are celebrating and laughing intensely. I spoke up and said, "Isn't this a sure good place to go in and hear the shofar voice?" [And the rest I don't remember.] Someone replied it's also hinted in his book that the mitzvah of shofar is the aspect of clapping and dancing, as brought in the Torah "We'elleh haMishpayim" in LM #10 which speaks of clapping and dancing. For it explains there the holy Zohar's statement "In Teruah which is the spirit that drives away El Acher/ Foreign gods, Kefirut/ apostasy etc., whereby one attains clapping and dancing, which is the aspect of that spirit that bloweth in the six sections of the arms and six sections of the legs" — see there the whole Torah. Hence it explains there that Teruah which is the shofar voice is the aspect of hand clapping and dancing. And Rabbeinu obm nodded his head. Then H' sent in my heart that it's hinted in the verse that ShOFaR is the aspect of rinah/shouting and simchah/joy, for (Ps. 126:2), "Az yimmale Sechoq Pinu Ulshonenu Rinnah/ Then will our mouth be filled with laughter and our tongue with shouting," acrostic for ShOFaR. Consequently after the verse (Ps. 89:16) "Ashrei ha`Am yod`ei teru`ah/Fortunate the people knowing the Teruah" etc. is written (:17), "Beshimkha yegilun kol hayom/In Your name they rejoice all day." And see elsewhere that crying needs to be essentially from out of joy, for BeKhiYaH/ crying is acrostic of Beshimkha Yegilun Kol Hayom; see there.

סִפֵּר בִּימֵי אֱלוּל שֶׁחָלַם לוֹ שֶׁהָיָה רוֹצֶה לִכְנס בְּבַיִת לִשְׁמעַ קוֹל שׁוֹפָר וְעָבַר לִפְנֵי בַּיִת אֶחָד וְשָׁמַע שֶׁשָּׁם מְזַמְּרִין וּמַכִּין כַּף אֶל כַּף וּמְרַקְּדִין מְאד וּשְׂמֵחִין בִּקְפִיצוֹת וְרִקּוּדִין גְּדוֹלִים כְּדֶרֶךְ הַשְּׂמֵחִים וְהַשּׂוֹחֲקִים מְאד. עָנִיתִי וְאָמַרְתִּי הֲלא לְכָאן בְּוַדַּאי טוֹב לִכְנס לִשְׁמעַ קוֹל שׁוֹפָר [וְהַשְּׁאָר אֵינִי זוֹכֵר] וְעָנָה אֶחָד שֶׁגַּם מְרֻמָּז בְּסִפְרוֹ שֶׁמִּצְוַת שׁוֹפָר הִיא בְּחִינַת הַמְחָאַת כַּף וְרִקּוּדִין כַּמּוּבָא בְּהַתּוֹרָה וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים בְּלִקּוּטֵי א' סִימָן י' הַמְדַבֵּר מֵהַמְחָאַת כַּף וְרִקּוּדִין שֶׁמְּבאָר שָׁם מַאֲמַר הַזוהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בִּתְרוּעָה דְּאִיהוּ רוּחָא אִתְעֲבֵר אֵל אַחֵר כְּפִירוֹת וְכוּ' שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה זוֹכִין לְהַמְחָאַת כַּף וְרִקּוּדִין. שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת וְהַהִיא רוּחָא נָשֵׁב בְּשִׁת פִּרְקִין דִּדְרוֹעִין וּבְשִׁת פִּרְקִין דְּרַגְלִין עַיֵּן שָׁם כָּל הַתּוֹרָה. נִמְצָא מְבאָר שָׁם שֶׁתְּרוּעָה שֶׁהוּא קוֹל שׁוֹפָר הִיא בְּחִינַת הַמְחָאַת כַּף וְרִקּוּדִין. וְנִעְנַע לוֹ רַבֵּנוּ זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה ראשׁוֹ. אַחַר כָּךְ שָׁלַח ה' בְּלִבִּי שֶׁמְּרֻמָּז בַּפָּסוּק שֶׁשּׁוֹפָר הִיא בְּחִינַת רִנָּה וְשִׂמְחָה כִּי:אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂ'חוֹק פִּ'ינוּ וּ'לְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִ'נָּה רָאשֵׁי תֵבוֹת שׁוֹפָ"ר. וְעַל כֵּן אַחַר פָּסוּק: "אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם יוֹדְעֵי תְרוּעָה" וְכוּ' כְּתִיב: "בְּשִׁמְךָ יְגִילוּן כָּל הַיּוֹם" וְעַיֵּן בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר שֶׁעִקַּר הַבְּכִיָּה צְרִיכָה לִהְיוֹת מִתּוֹךְ שִׂמְחָה כִּי בְּכִיָּה הִיא רָאשֵׁי תֵבוֹת "בְּשִׁמְךָ" יְגִילוּן "כָּל" הַיּוֹם, עַיֵּן שָׁם

98

A story about a king who built himself a palace, and he summoned two people and ordered them to decorate his palace, and he divided the palace into two parts: one half was the responsibility of one person to decorate, and the other half was the other's responsibility to decorate. And he fixed a time limit within which they had to decorate it, and the two men went their ways. One of them went and struggled and toiled a great deal, teaching himself this art of decor and fresco very, very thoroughly, to the extent that he decorated the part for which he was responsible with the most beautiful and wondrous murals. He depicted animals, birds and so forth, with the most wondrous and pleasant depictions. And the second man paid no attention to the king's order; he did nothing about it at all. And when it came close to the time limit when they had to finish their work, behold, the first man had already finished his work and his art with the most exquisite and wondrous decor. And the second man began to look at himself: what had he done, wasting the time with vapidness and emptiness, without so much as thinking about the king's order. He began to think about what to do, for surely within these few days before the deadline it is impossible to fix this and learn the art of decor so as to decorate his part within this short time, for it was very close to the time appointed for them. And he came up with an idea, and he went and plastered his part with a compound called pakist, and he plastered dark pakist on his entire part. And the pakist was just like a mirror, and could reflect just like a mirror, and he went and hung a curtain in front of his part to partition between his part and the other's part. And when the time came, which the king appointed for them, the king went to see the form of their work which they had done in these days. And he saw the first part, that it was decorated with the most pleasant and wondrous images, and birds and so forth were depicted there, in the most wondrous ways. And the second part was covered with curtains, and behind it, darkness, and nothing at all could be seen. The second man got up and opened the curtain, and the sun was shining, and all those wondrous images came and shined in his part, since there was pakist there, shining like a mirror. So all the depicted birds in the first part and the rest of the wondrous images all appeared in his part, and whatever the king saw in the first part, he also saw in this man's part. In addition to this, all the wondrous objects and all the credenzas and so forth that the king brought into the palace, they all appeared in the second part as well. And so whatever additional wondrous items the king wanted to bring in his palace, would all appear in his second part, and this pleased the king. [I remember no more than this.] I heard all this from his holy mouth himself.

100

I heard, in his name, on the subject of famous miracle workers, that he told a story about a king who had two sons. One was intelligent and one a fool. And he put the fool in charge over the treasuries, and the clever one had no position at all; he just always sat by the king's side. The public found it quite hard to understand why this one who is not clever has all the responsibility, and everyone comes to him to make a deposit or withdrawal from the treasuries, while the clever one has no appointment at all. The king replied to them, "And is this a big deal, that he brings out treasures that are already prepared, and distributes them to the world? For, this clever one sits by my side, and devises new thoughts and counsels that I cannot arrive at. And by means of these advices I conquer countries that I would not have known about at all; countries that are the source of all my treasures. But this appointee takes ready treasures and distributes them to the world. So the role of the clever one is definitely much greater and higher than the appointee, even though it may appear he has no appointment. For, he is the source of all the treasures!"

[#104-128] His Place of Birth and Residence and His Trips and Excursions

#104

From the day he was born till he grew to bar mitzvah, till he entered the chuppah, was all in the holy community Medzhebuzh. It's already been described, less than a drop in the sea, regarding his devotions, that even in these days while he was a really small kid, he was excited in serving His Blessedness etc. His wedding was in Medvedevka, because from there he was matched with the daughter of the Rabbani, the princely, famous in Torah and Fear, our Maestro Rabbi Efraim of blessed memory. And this father in law was an extremely distinguished man and pedigreed. His roots were in Zaslov, but eventually things caused him to take up residence in Ossatin and other villages surrounding Medvedevka, and he would strengthen those villages. And he was famous with a good name among all the famous tzaddikim, as they all gathered him, for he was a very important man. His wife too, Rabbeinu obm's mother in law, was a very kosher woman, and merited being in-law to Rabbeinu obm. Immediately on the wedding day after leaving the chuppah he had a great longing and yearning for Hashem Yithbarakh etc., and connected immediately with Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Ber. From then on he was involved in serving Hashem in those villages, and he labored and toiled in serving Hashem with great effort and self sacrifice etc. And he would travel from there at intervals to Medzhibuzh, and come back and travel from Medzhibuzh back there. And he would at intervals talk with people about serving Hashem, and he'd wake them up greatly, and drew their hearts to Hashem Yitbarakh in profound yearning. As time and years passed, while he was fasting and yearning a great deal in serving Hashem, in Hitbodedut immeasurable, and countless journeys, and he was still living in that village at his father in law's table, meanwhile a few people started to follow him a little, even though he was seated at his father in laws' table in the village. All this was when he was literally young, before twenty, for he was extremely zealous in his devotions, and he had also begun in his actual childhood as mentioned.

105

From the day of his birth until he grew up and became a bar mitzvah, up until his entrance into the chuppah, everything was in the holy community of Medzhebuzh. And it is already explained somewhat less than a drop from the sea regarding his service, that even in those days of his youth, he was truly aroused to serve the Blessed One, and so on. His marriage was in Medzhebuzh because from there he was betrothed to the daughter of the famous rabbinic leader, our teacher Rabbi Ephraim, of blessed memory. His father-in-law was a very esteemed man, and his lineage was from Zaslav. But afterward, things changed until he established his residence in the village of Osyatin and in other villages that are part of the Medzhebuzh settlement, and he held onto these villages and was famous for his good name among all the renowned tzaddikim, who all visited him because he was a very important man. Also, his wife, the mother of our teacher, of blessed memory, was a very righteous woman and merited to marry our teacher, of blessed memory.

And immediately on the day of the chuppah, after his departure from the chuppah, he was yearning and longing to serve the Blessed One, and so on. He immediately connected with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Bar, and from then on, he occupied himself with the service of the Blessed Name in those villages and labored greatly in the service of the Lord with tremendous effort and self-sacrifice, and so on. He would travel from there to Prakes to Medzhebuzh and return and travel from Medzhebuzh back there, and also his way was to speak frequently with people about the service of the Lord, and he greatly inspired them and continued to stir their hearts towards the Blessed Name with fervent longing. Over the many days and years, he was afflicted and labored greatly in the service of the Lord and in solitude without measure, and with countless trials. Yet he still lived in the aforementioned village, at his father-in-law's table.

During this time, some people began to approach him a little, also while he was sitting at his father-in-law's table in the village, and everything was in his youth, truly before he turned twenty, for he was very zealous in his service and also began in his youth as mentioned above.

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And Rabbi Shimon told me that immediately after our teacher, of blessed memory, covered the face of the bride on the day of his wedding, he immediately went and gathered some young men and spoke with each one individually and tested them with his wisdom to see where they stood. And afterward, he called Rabbi Shimon and began to speak with him also with wisdom, as though he wanted, Heaven forbid, to leave this world. And Rabbi Shimon stood in astonishment and did not respond to him, for he was not interested in such matters. Our teacher, of blessed memory, responded to him and said: “Are you not a human being? Why are you not interested in these matters of this world?” He replied, “I am a simple man and interested in simplicity.” Our teacher, of blessed memory, responded and said to him that it seems there will be a great recognition between us. Afterwards, our teacher, of blessed memory, told him that he spoke with these young men, tested them, and found that they were very far from the Blessed Name, and even they were blemished and guilty of transgressions, Heaven save us. And immediately our teacher, of blessed memory, went with Rabbi Shimon to the field, and they spoke together a lot about the service of the Blessed Name with great yearning. Our teacher, of blessed memory, spoke to Rabbi Shimon words of great arousal, saying that there is no purpose in this world except to withdraw from the desires of this world and to serve the Blessed Name, specifically on my day of my chuppah, and to forgive me for all my sins. Certainly, I need to scrutinize my actions greatly and such like. They went together and spoke about this until the chuppah. Blessed is the one who merits on the day of his chuppah to consider the true purpose. And from then on, Rabbi Shimon and our teacher, of blessed memory, were connected, and he, of blessed memory, spoke with him often with great arousal, and he would speak to his heart to act like him, to completely separate himself from the world and to toil and exert only in the service of the Blessed One. But Rabbi Shimon told him that surely you will merit to be a famous tzaddik and I wish to always serve you, and so it was. But also Rabbi Shimon was a very righteous man, for I heard from our teacher, of blessed memory, himself a few years ago that Rabbi Shimon had already completely broken all bad traits.

107

Rabbi Shimon once told that after he had become famous, he traveled with our teacher, of blessed memory, on the way through the village of Osyatin, where our teacher, of blessed memory, labored extensively in his great service at his father-in-law’s house. He lived there and traveled with him through the fields and similar places. Our teacher, of blessed memory, yearned greatly and said how good it had been for him there, for every step he took, he felt the taste of the Garden of Eden. For there, in those paths, he was accustomed to go and be secluded, and he would suffer and long greatly, saying, “Isn't it very good for me here? Why the publicity of now?”

Also, once he told me that in his youth, when he would be secluded in some place in the forest or in the field, when he returned from there, the entire world seemed new to him, and it appeared to him as if it was a completely different world, and the world did not look the same to him at all as it had before.

108

Afterward, the situation changed, and he had to leave his father-in-law’s table because his mother-in-law had passed away, and his father-in-law took another wife from the holy community of Ma'ahliv. Our teacher, of blessed memory, arranged the marriage himself, and it was completed in Ma'ahliv, and he married her. Although he was still in his youth and, as I heard, he was about eighteen years old at that time, nevertheless, a few people paid him some attention because he was a grandson of the renowned Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, and they saw and understood that he was a precious vessel, valued more than gold and jewels. The wise ones also understood that when he grew up, there would be a great renewal in the world.

The event in Ma'ahliv was such that he stayed there in the house of a distinguished person from among those close to the holy Rabbi Baruch, of blessed memory. The man was a wealthy and esteemed person. They received him with great honor and made a feast for him. There were also other important people from those close to the holy Rabbi mentioned, and they gave him wine to drink. He, of blessed memory, was still reserved and was not accustomed to speak Torah publicly, but then, during the wine feast, his heart was ignited, and he opened his mouth and revealed to them wondrous and awesome things. The people who were there saw this appearance and were astonished, greatly alarmed, and then was the wedding of his father-in-law, and they returned to their homes.

At the same time, the famous tzaddik, our teacher Rabbi Dov from Zaslav, who was known to all as Rabbi Baer and who had merited to travel to the Land of Israel and then leave, arrived there. They told him all that had happened, and he was greatly astonished and said that there would be a great renewal in the world. And while he was staying in the village, still at his father-in-law's table, people began to come close to him from nearby places. Sometimes they would travel to him, and he would greatly inspire their hearts to serve the Blessed Name. They became righteous people to this day; fortunate are they.

Afterward, he continued to stay a little while at his father-in-law's table, but as time went on, his mother-in-law's obligations were not fully met, as at his father-in-law’s house, there was a special room within the house that was known as “the small side room.” He would sit there and be secluded, engaging in his service, and occasionally would go out into the fields or the forest to seclude himself. One day, our teacher, of blessed memory, traveled to the city, and his mother-in-law set up her own bed there, as she wanted to take the room for herself. And as soon as our teacher, of blessed memory, arrived there and found that he had taken a place of sanctity from him, he could no longer stay near his father-in-law’s table. And so he left the village, entered the city, and established his residence in Ma'ahliv.

109

In all these matters, there is much, very much to tell, thousands upon thousands of stories that transpired during the days and years that he stayed in those aforementioned places. For then, his primary toil and labor in his service of the Blessed One was with tremendous exertion. He experienced great battles every day and every hour before he subdued and broke each trait and desire. And since I did not merit to come close to him until he arrived here in Breslov, and all these things I heard intermittently, most of them from his holy mouth, and the rest from other people who knew him back then, I am therefore unable to tell everything in proper order, and I am forced to skip much from matter to matter. But everything that comes to my memory I will not refrain from telling, even though much that I heard has already been forgotten.

110

I will record some small stories that I heard from his holy mouth, may his memory be blessed. He told that in the days of his youth, when he was engaged in the service of God with great exertion, he very much desired that the Blessed Name would show him a miracle to strengthen his faith even more. He would entreat and plead, increasing his prayers to the Blessed Name for this. And he told of three wonders that happened to him at that time.

One was that in the place where he used to go outside, here and there, engaging in solitude and cleaving to the Blessed Name, there stood a large idol of theirs—woven and warped in their manner, especially in the villages. This confused him greatly, for he suffered that this idol stood before him as he walked in attachment and solitude. He prayed to the Blessed Name that a miracle would be done for him and that the idol would be uprooted. And so, he decreed, and it stood, and suddenly the idol was uprooted and fell to the ground.

The second was related to fish. He went before the river and wished that fish would come to him without a net, and it happened as such.

The third I have forgotten. It seems it had to do with his desire to see a dead person, and he pleaded with the Blessed Name for this, and it was fulfilled. Suddenly, a dead person came to him, lying in his room, meaning in his 'alkir' (small room) in his father-in-law’s house. Our teacher, of blessed memory, was extremely terrified then, for it was the first time he had seen a dead person with his own eyes. This was at the beginning of his youth.

He later said that the dead person was wicked, and that is why he was seized by such great and immeasurable fear. He began to scream in a very strange cry, and the household members came running and tried to enter his room, but they could not enter because our teacher, of blessed memory, had locked the room from the inside. They had to use tricks to enter, and I do not remember if he said they tore down the wall, or if they entered from above, through the wall of the 'alkir.' They came to him, and afterward, he calmed down from his fear. He said that the dead person was wicked, and that is why he was so frightened.

Later, he saw many dead people and was no longer afraid. Especially toward the end of his days, when he had become 'the master of the field,' multitudes of people came to him for rectification. For in this, he was particularly engaged in rectifying the souls of the dead and the 'naked souls,' which had not yet entered any body at all, and so on, as explained elsewhere.

He told that there was a poor man, and once, he had nothing to eat in the evening. He went to the field as usual and found a small cloth with barley grains and brought it home to cook. From what I heard from his holy mouth, this was precious to him like a great treasure, for he had faith in the Blessed Name, and the Blessed Name arranged sustenance for him in the field. I heard from his holy mouth that he said he knew with certainty that even if he were sitting in the field, he had faith in the Blessed Name that He would arrange his sustenance. However, this matter is difficult and heavy—that is, for the true tzaddik to hold onto the money and not immediately distribute it, that is much harder and heavier, etc.

He told me that he had three hundred red coins as a dowry, and he ate from that money until it was gone. Afterward, he experienced what was mentioned above, that he became poor, as mentioned. But at first, he didn’t think about it at all; he was only engaged in his service, eating from the aforementioned amount, and so on, as mentioned.

111

He would often tell stories about the thoughts he had during his youth while he was engaged in his spiritual work. He imagined that he did not want to become famous in any way and did not want to be a recipient of any honor. He had various thoughts on how to hide himself from the world and how he would earn a living. At times, he even thought about begging from door to door, with no one knowing who he was.

112

Later, he moved to Medvedivka, where a few villagers gathered and arranged to give him one *rendl* (a type of coin) each week. He lived in Medvedivka quietly and peacefully, and soon people began to draw close to him. From day to day, more and more people joined him. People started traveling to him from the surrounding areas, and eventually from as far as twenty *parsaot* away. The people of Dashiv became close to him during his stay there, and anyone who merited to come near him was filled with fear of God. He brought many people to repentance and drew them closer to God with great dedication. Even in Medvedivka, he faced some opposition, but all his opponents eventually fell before him. There were also certain incidents involving the local rabbis, though I do not know all the details.

113

Afterward, he traveled from Medvedivka to the Land of Israel. Upon returning from the Land of Israel, he became connected through a marriage arrangement with his daughter Adil to the renowned rabbi, the great, pious, and holy sage, Rabbi Avraham Dov, of blessed memory, the head of the rabbinical court in the holy community of Chmelnik. After his return from the Land of Israel, he resided for about a year and a little more in Medvedivka. Soon after his arrival from the Land of Israel, he traveled to the holy community of Ladi to visit the renowned, great, and pious rabbi, our teacher Rabbi Schneur Zalman, of blessed memory. They had many discussions regarding matters of the people of the Land of Israel, because when our Rabbi, of blessed memory, was in the Land of Israel, they urged him to remain there. There are several stories to recount about what happened to him during his journey there, his stay, and his return. He also visited the holy rabbi from Neskhiz five days before the latter passed away. He rushed to him in great haste, eager to meet him while he was still alive, and indeed arrived shortly before his passing. The love and joy that the holy rabbi had upon our Rabbi’s visit cannot be described or fully imagined.

The holy rabbi was lying on his sickbed, severely ill, as was well known. For half a year he had been bedridden, isolated in a room where no sunlight entered, as he could not bear even a glimmer of sunlight. He hadn’t moved from his place and could not eat any cooked food due to the smell, which he couldn’t tolerate. They had to strain his broth several times before he could consume it. No cooked food was allowed in his house, as he couldn’t bear the smell. His suffering was immense, as he was gravely ill with great afflictions. When our Rabbi, of blessed memory, arrived, he truly revived him. As soon as the messenger of our Rabbi announced that he would be coming, the holy rabbi was filled with joy and said that he was truly revived by the news. When our Rabbi arrived, he was received with great honor, love, and affection beyond measure, and they had many deep discussions.

According to an eyewitness who was present, their conversation involved visions and revelations of true tzaddikim (righteous individuals), what they perceive and achieve, and they also spoke about the angel Metatron and similar matters. Afterwards, the holy rabbi commanded that a feast be held in his house in honor of our Rabbi, even though normally no cooked food was allowed there, as previously mentioned. Nevertheless, love overrides all rules, and a grand feast was made for him. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, sat at the head of the table, and the holy rabbi raised himself from his bed and entered the house, dressed in a fine garment known as a [me'il rakum bechutei zahav], and sat at the table in honor of our Rabbi, of blessed memory. This was the first time in six months that he had risen from his bed and joined a table setting, all for the honor of our Rabbi, despite being gravely ill, as these were the days preceding his passing. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, stayed there for the holy Sabbath. The holy rabbi urged him to dine with him on the holy Sabbath, but our Rabbi, of blessed memory, initially refused. After persistent urging, it seems that he eventually dined there.

The holy rabbi also sent our Rabbi a redemption offering of ten red coins. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, perceived that he was obligated to distribute all his wealth, but it was not possible, etc., and he understood that his passing was near. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, returned to his home before the holy rabbi’s passing. In Kremenchug, I heard from someone who said that his father had served the holy rabbi from Neskhiz during the time when our Rabbi, of blessed memory, was there, and he also related that the holy rabbi showed great and immense respect toward him. Despite his frailty, the holy rabbi accompanied our Rabbi, of blessed memory, when he departed from his house to continue on his journey. Upon returning from accompanying our Rabbi, of blessed memory, the holy rabbi remarked, "If I came into this world only for Rabbi Nachman to step upon my threshold, that would be enough."

Upon returning from the holy rabbi, he also visited the renowned pious rabbi, our teacher Zvi Aryeh of Alik. It is reported by our close associates that the entire focus of their discussions with him was on visions and revelations, as our Rabbi, of blessed memory, did not agree with their approach to visions and revelations. He had significant debates with the holy rabbi from Neskhiz, who was famous for such matters, and they argued extensively on this topic. I do not know the details of their debates well, but the general idea is that our Rabbi, of blessed memory, would say that visions should not be seen in the way they perceived them. Once, the holy rabbi from Neskhiz sent a message to our Rabbi, saying, “Before you entered the city, I saw the angel Metatron, and this and that is what I saw." And it seems that I heard that the aforementioned holy rabbi said that he saw Metatron in a literal vision, but our teacher, of blessed memory, said that this is not how he is seen. And it seems that another time, the aforementioned holy rabbi argued with our teacher, of blessed memory, saying, “This is how I saw it,” and “This is how I saw it,” but our teacher, of blessed memory, did not want to agree and said to them, “This is not how Metatron is seen; I saw him like this and like that, and that is truly the vision of Metatron.”

There were several matters on this topic, but I was not present for all of it, and I did not merit hearing anything directly from the holy rabbi on this subject. I only heard from someone who was with the rabbi from Neskhiz, and he told me other stories he heard then regarding the closeness of the aforementioned rabbi to his main teacher, the holy rabbi, our teacher Michel, of blessed memory.

Afterward, when he returned to the rabbi from Alik, the rabbi from Alik had already heard all his arguments and debates with the rabbi from Neskhiz about visions, as it had become well-known and spoken about in their circles. And when our teacher, of blessed memory, arrived at the rabbi from Alik for Shabbat, the rabbi from Alik spoke extensively during each meal about visions. At every Shabbat meal, he taught Torah, and all the Torah and all the stories were related to visions, to show that he truly sees. But our teacher, of blessed memory, did not agree with this at all and remained completely silent.

Before he entered to the holy rabbi from Alik, he prayed to Hashem, may He be blessed, and reflected on how to behave with him, etc., so he remained completely silent throughout the entire Shabbat. Afterward, on Motzei Shabbat, our teacher, of blessed memory, entered the room of the aforementioned rabbi, and Rabbi Zvi Aryeh, of blessed memory, came to him personally and said, “Do you still not believe that I see? I will give you a decisive proof that I see.” And he again began to teach Torah and prove that he sees. Then our teacher, of blessed memory, responded to him: “Many hoped to delve into the workings of the Chariot (Maaseh Merkavah), yet they never saw it in their lifetime, as our sages, of blessed memory, have said.”

114

It came to pass in the year 5560 (1800), that our Master, may his memory be a blessing, saw and understood, in the place where he saw and comprehended, that he needed to establish his residence in the community of Zlatipolia. In that same year, at its end, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, he arranged a wedding for his daughter Adil, as previously mentioned, and the wedding took place in Khemlnik. He attended the wedding with all his household, as customary. At the wedding was his righteous mother, Mrs. Feiga, may her memory be a blessing. At the time of the *chuppah*, she saw the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be a blessing, for she was a righteous woman endowed with divine spirit (*ruach hakodesh*). All the righteous people held her in high esteem as one possessing divine spirit and great spiritual insight, particularly her renowned righteous brothers: the holy Rabbi of Sedlikov and the holy Rabbi, our teacher, Rabbi Baruch, may their memories be a blessing. They all regarded her as one of the prophetesses.

At that time, immediately after the aforementioned wedding, our Master, may his memory be a blessing, arranged a marriage for his daughter, Mrs. Miriam, may her memory be a blessing, with the renowned Chassid, our teacher, Reb Leybush, may his memory be a blessing, the head of the rabbinical court of the holy community of Valtsisk. Upon his return from the aforementioned wedding with his entire household, he immediately traveled with them to Zlatipolia and entered the city without any prior notification to the members of the community. He did not consult with them at all beforehand; rather, he simply rented a home there and suddenly established his residence. Nevertheless, the members of the community received him with great honor. On Rosh Hashanah, many people gathered to be with him, about a hundred or more people. He, may his memory be a blessing, did not prepare anything for them at all, as he was himself like a guest there, having arrived very close to Rosh Hashanah. The members of the community hosted all the guests with great honor and urged our Master, may his memory be a blessing, to enter the large synagogue along with all his followers to pray there, as it was a spacious and suitable place for prayer. He prayed there with them on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They entrusted everything to him, allowing him to make all the decisions according to his will, including matters related to the prayer leaders and those who would sound the shofar.

He spent the Days of Awe there in peace. One day, during *Ne'ilah* on Yom Kippur, someone prayed before the congregation without the consent of our Master, may his memory be a blessing. In the middle of the prayer, this person became mute and was unable to open his mouth in any way. He was forced to withdraw in great shame, and someone else took his place. Afterward, on the night following Yom Kippur, our Master, may his memory be a blessing, humorously commented, as was his way, about the prayer leaders on that Yom Kippur. He said it was like the coin of Abraham our forefather—old man and old woman on one side, young man and young woman on the other. This was because, at first, the father-in-law of the one who had led *Ne'ilah* prayed, and afterward, his son-in-law, and both prayed for the honor of their wives, to gain favor in their eyes, and so on. He then said that he had wanted to focus on his own prayer at that time, which involved [rectifying a certain matter], but if you understand how the *samekh mem* (the Satan) opposes anything holy and tries to hinder and confuse, this man had come to pray, and I had pushed him away.

Due to this, the aforementioned man became angry with our Master, may his memory be a blessing, and went to the holy community of Shpalia, where he slandered our Master, may his memory be a blessing, before the elder there, causing a great dispute against him. From then on, the great conflict arose, to the point that almost the entire city opposed our Master, may his memory be a blessing. The magnitude of the dispute and the suffering he endured there cannot be described, as he sat there as if on thorns.

After Sukkot, the aforementioned elder traveled there and unleashed his accusations without restraint, further escalating the great dispute against him. Initially, there had been love between this elder and our Master, may his memory be a blessing, and the elder had been greatly submissive and humble before him. However, from the time our Master, may his memory be a blessing, entered Zlatipolia, just two *parsa'ot* from the elder’s territory, and especially due to the intensifying slander, this great dispute was aroused, with false accusations fabricated against him, things that had never crossed his mind.

Our Master, may his memory be a blessing, said that he was divinely ordained to stay there because he was rectifying the sin of Jeroboam ben Nebat. The famous pious Rabbi, the Maggid Meisharim from Tirovitze, who was one of the followers of our teacher, of blessed memory, asked his holy mouth, "Why did you not send me earlier into the city of Zlatipolye, and I would have spoken with the wealthy men there, and they would have received you into the city with great honor, as befitting?"

Our teacher, of blessed memory, replied to him, "If I had wanted to wait, I could have entered the city of Zlatipolye in a great and honorable way, even in a grand carriage. But I cannot wait, because I am compelled by Heaven to enter there now. In all of these matters, there is much to tell, enough to fill many pages."

He also said at that time, "Just as there are cities below, so too, there are cities above." And he mentioned then the Torah from *Likutey Tinyana*, Lesson 62, which discusses the rectification of the sin of idolatry to atone for "These are your gods, O Israel," through the journeys of the children of Israel. There, it is only a hint about this matter of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, as mentioned.

He stayed there for two continuous years and brought many people closer to God. Also, the righteous one, our teacher Rabbi Yitzchak Aizik, of blessed memory, became close to him there. He taught many lofty and awe-inspiring teachings there.

[The copyist says: "Let the mouths of liars be silenced, those who claim that immediately after our teacher, of blessed memory, returned from the Land of Israel, the aforementioned elder began to oppose him and said what he said, etc. Let the lips of falsehood be silenced, those who wish to deny the known truth. For on the contrary, when our teacher, of blessed memory, returned from the Land of Israel, he was at the home of the aforementioned elder, and he received him with great honor, as will be explained further in the matter of his journey to the Land of Israel. And as is known, even afterward, there was great love between them as before, and the elder treated him with great honor until our teacher, of blessed memory, entered Zlatipolye, as is explained here. This was about a year and a half after our teacher, of blessed memory, returned from the Land of Israel to his home."]

115

In the year 1802, in the month of Elul, he arrived in Breslov and came here for the Shabbat of Parashat Ki Tetzei. When the news of his arrival was heard in Nemirov, which is close by, it was a great wonder that he had come here. But the Blessed Name had mercy on us from Heaven and, from afar, planned to improve our end, leaving a remnant on the earth to sustain a large people.

For here, the holy books that were printed were completed, and here were composed the hidden books, such as those that were burned and the hidden book, and so on. We were blessed in His great mercies to come close to him immediately upon his arrival here, which will be explained elsewhere, if the Blessed Name wills, in detail.

He said, "If he had come to Breslov only to bring me closer, it would have been enough." And here in Breslov he lived in tranquility among the townspeople all his days. However, in the world, the opposition continued to grow stronger, and every time more people were brought closer to the Blessed Name, the opposition grew stronger. But our teacher of blessed memory did his part, and every day, hour, and moment, he ascended to high and lofty levels beyond imagination.

Had it not been for the increasing prosecution against the world, until the world was not worthy to receive such light and stood in awe, his greatness would have been revealed in the world, and he would have brought the entire world back to the Blessed Name. For this was his constant aim throughout his life, and he was continually engaged in trying to purify the masses and bring them from darkness to light, from obscurity to great light.

Our teacher of blessed memory answered and said, "What will be if they expel me from here? Even in any place I go, in every place I step, I will always rectify." When he left Zlatipolye, at the time when the carriages had already arrived from Breslov to bring him back to Breslov, he said here in Zlatipolye, "I have endured two Gehenna-like experiences, for the judgment of the wicked in Gehenna is twelve months, and I have endured sufferings here for two years."

He also said, "Until now, I was isolated outside the camp of my residence; now I am beginning," and he did not know the language that was said further. However, the matter is that now the Blessed Name is beginning to improve, etc. The copyist says, "I heard that our teacher of blessed memory said, 'We conquered the city of Breslov with clapping and dancing.'"

[For indeed, at the beginning of his arrival in Breslov, he immediately spoke about clapping in prayer, through which the air of the outside land is driven away and the air of the Land of Israel is drawn, as explained in the teaching, 'You are standing, etc.']

And in this year, he danced a lot to annul the decrees [the decree to conscript Jews into the army]. And in this winter, he spoke a teaching from the tractate of the Mishpatim, Lesson 10, which discusses clapping and dancing.

I also heard that once, shortly before his arrival in Breslov, a cup of wine was poured for him for Kiddush, and it spilled on the ground. They poured him another cup and made Kiddush on it. And afterward, he said, "Today we have established the name Breslover Hasidim, and this name will never be extinguished, for forever our people will be called by the name of the city of Breslov," and thus he was famous.

And once, he said in the house of the holy Rabbi, his uncle Rabbi Baruch, of blessed memory, that his uncle wanted to settle in Breslov but did not succeed, while he himself settled in Breslov, and so he was famous. There were many discussions among our people regarding his settling in Breslov, and it is understood from his words that he, of blessed memory, had a special attachment to Breslov, with awesome and wondrous secrets.

116

In 5563/1803 he wed his daughter the tzadeket Ms. Sarah in the holy community Medvedevka to his rabbinic son-in-law our maestro Yitzchak Ayzik son of the mighty our maestro Rabbi Leyb Dubrovner. For they were both gathered there even he was already living in Breslev. The wedding was on Rosh Chodesh Nissan which took place on Thursday and the chuppah was at night, eve of sixth day erev Shabbat kodesh. After the chuppah they talked about Mashiach etc. [and Rabbeinu z"l said and revealed in hint that they should beget etc.]. Then on Shabbat kodesh he said at seudah shlishit the most lofty Torah that begins (Ps. 19:4), "LaShemesh sam ohel bahem/ In [the heavens] He has made a tent for the Sun" in LM #49. There it hints to Nissan, Sarah, Yitzchak, the bride, wedding, and more. And he said that this Torah he did not teach for our sake, but rather for the decrees called "Punktin" that were heard about then that they wanted to decree on Yisrael, God forbid, which in our many transgressions have now come to pass. For there it talks about the concept of subjugation of the nations, (Jer. 30:11) "Ki e`eseh kallah bekhol ha-goyim/ I will make a full end of all the nations," which is the aspect of kallah [ruin, but also restraint or bride], for it "consumes and devours all" [Z. 101b], "but you who cling [to H' I will not]" (Deut. 4:4). Understand there well, for the things are utterly deep and lofty.

And after teaching that Torah he danced a great deal with his daughter the bride etc. Whoever hasn't seen his dancing has never seen a good thing in his life, for even though barukh Hashem we've been privy to see many tzaddikim who have danced before the bride, his dancing however did not look like that. Whoever was present there for sure had a thought of true teshuvah for all his sins. The immensity of the stirring and kindling of all the people present at the dancing is impossible to explain or describe it in any kind of writing. And he had already revealed many extremely lofty Torot on the business of dancing and clapping. Also this Torah LaShemesh explains about the concept of dancing, but occasions for dancing only happened very rarely; however that year he danced several times namely Simchat Torah, then Shabbat Chanukkah after teaching the Torah Ra'ithi menorath zahav in LM #8, then on Purim in Medvdedevka, then at this wedding. He said himself, "This year I've danced a great deal," and this was because that year the decrees called "Punktin" were heard, that they wanted to decree on Yisrael God forbid, and consequently he danced several times, for by dancing one sweetens judgments and nullifies decrees as explained in the Torah "We'elleh haMishpatim" LM #10 which begins, "By dancing and clapping one sweetens judgements," and this Torah was also taught that winter in Terhovitsa.

In the year 1803, he performed the marriage of his daughter, the righteous Mrs. Sarah, in the community of Kodesh Me'atzveiud with her groom, our teacher Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac, son of the wealthy Rabbi Leib Davberavoner. For they both gathered there, even though he was already in Breslov at that time. The wedding took place on the first day of the month of Nisan, which was then a Thursday, and the chupah (wedding canopy) was in the evening, before Friday, on the eve of Shabbat Kodesh. After the chupah, they spoke about the Messiah, etc. [And our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, hinted that it was fitting that something should come out from them, etc.]

Later, on Shabbat Kodesh, he spoke at the third meal about the elevated Torah, which begins with "To the sun," in the Likutey Moharan, part 1, section 49. There, it hints to Nisan, Sarah, Isaac, and the bride and groom, etc. And he said that this Torah was not said for us but rather for the decree that calls the "Punktin" (a term for harsh decrees) that were heard then, that they wanted to decree against Israel, Heaven forbid, which, due to our many sins, was issued in our days. For there it speaks about the subjugation of the nations, as it is written "I will make a bride among all the nations." This refers to the concept of a bride who eats all, etc., and you who are cleaving, etc., and understand there very well that these are very deep and high matters.

And after he finished speaking the Torah, he danced very much with his daughter, the bride, etc. And whoever did not see his dancing did not see goodness in his lifetime, for even though we were blessed to see many righteous people dancing before the bride, his dancing was unlike anything seen before. And everyone who stood there surely had a genuine thought of repentance for all their sins. And the greatness of the excitement and fervor of all the people who stood there at the time of the dancing cannot be described or depicted in writing in any way.

And it was already revealed how many elevated teachings about dancing and clapping were given. And also in the Torah for the sun, which begins with dancing, but it was not common for him to do dancing except at very rare times, but in that year he danced several times, that is, during the Simchat Torah, and later on Shabbat Chanukah after the speaking of the Torah, and later on Purim in Me'atzveiud, and later on at the wedding mentioned above. And he said himself that in that year he danced a lot, and it was because, in that year, the decrees were heard that they wanted to decree against Israel, Heaven forbid. And because of this, he danced several times, for through dancing, the judgments are sweetened and the decrees are annulled, as explained in the Torah for the sun, part 1, section 10, in the Likutey Moharan, where it begins with how dancing and clapping sweeten judgments. And also this Torah was said in that winter in Terhavitz.

117

In the year 1805, he arranged the marriage of his daughter Miriam, may her memory be a blessing, in the holy congregation of Waltszisk. And on the Shabbat before the wedding, known as Parshpill, which took place in the portion of Noach at the beginning of the month of Cheshvan, he danced all day long. Such dancing was never seen from him before or since, as he danced nearly the entire day. The details of what happened on that Shabbat cannot be fully described or conveyed.

He prayed with us, girded in a Patshileh [similar to a prayer shawl] alone, and afterward, during the third meal, he sat with us and mentioned the significance of the three meals. He recounted that on that New Year's Day, they had given him a thousand red coins after all expenses. There was a place there that he loved greatly for its Torah, a place said to have very elevated Torah. He went there and stood at the entrance, but they did not allow him to enter. He gave them the thousand red coins so they would let him in.

He had a very strong evil inclination regarding those thousand red coins, not to give them. Even the evil inclination knew there was something there. He entered, heard what he heard, and what he heard at that time, which is the saying of "Khosram" from the Likutei A', in Section 22, was from that Torah of that place, albeit somewhat abbreviated.

He then said the Torah and "And the Lord said: I have forgiven, according to Your word," the heads of the words being Kosi [Cup]. This was printed only in the heads of the chapters in Section 117 of Likutei A'. I ruled at that time to say Kaddish for my mother, may her memory be a blessing. Then, in the Torah, it was said, "Magnified and sanctified be His great name," as printed in the heads of the chapters.

The joy at that time was indescribable. Fortunate is he who saw it. On that Shabbat, he drank a bit of wine due to the joy of the wedding, as customary, and was in great happiness, dancing nearly all day, as mentioned above. He relied on Rabbi Yudel and danced, with beautiful melodies and a stirring of fear, and he danced to that melody.

His practice was to dance to a melody of inspiration and fear, and the melody was known to us. He said that this melody was a call and proclamation, used to gather everyone for the wedding. That is, the melody called all the righteous and holy souls of his family, including his ancestor, Rabbi Nachman, may his memory be a blessing, and his mother, the righteous one, may her memory be a blessing, to come to the wedding as explained in the Zohar, which says that at the wedding, all gather together.

Then he prayed Minchah with us together in the place where we ate the morning meal, in the study hall. He prayed Minchah, girded, and afterward, he sat with us during the three meals mentioned, and began to sing in the style of the Beis HaMikdash, and the third meal was done joyfully. He said that whoever can drink can atone for his sins, and he said the entire Torah and "And the Lord said: I have forgiven," the heads of the words being Kosi.

Later in the evening, he was adorned, and he did not yet make use of the merit of the forefathers. What happened in the land of Israel was much better for them.

118

In the year 1807, he traveled to Novritsch, Ostroh, Zaslav, Dubno, and other communities. He was also in the holy community of Brody and stayed on this journey for approximately half a year. No one knows what he did during this journey, as he did not accept any money during this trip. In many of the places where he stayed, they didn’t know of him at all, especially in Brody, where he entered alone, in great concealment, and so forth. During this journey, his wife passed away in Zaslav, where she was with a doctor. We were there for the festival of Shavuot. After his wife’s passing that summer, he departed from Brody. At that time, he was afflicted with the illness of a persistent cough and said that he would soon pass away. In the month of Elul, he married his second wife.

119

Immediately after Rosh Hashanah of 1807, he traveled to Lemberg and stayed there until mid-summer. He returned home around Parashat Balak. When he traveled to Lemberg, he went via Voltsysk, where he intended to cross the border into Grenitz but was unable to pass. He was delayed there for more than two weeks. One night, he dreamt that many soldiers from our emperor’s army were standing against the soldiers of the emperor of Vienna, and the empresses themselves were there. Our master, of blessed memory, asked a nobleman to allow him to cross, but the nobleman said, “I certainly won’t let you cross into our land.” It seemed the nobleman implied he feared that he would disturb the country, and so forth. He then sought permission from the emperor himself, who said, “I’m not afraid; I will let him pass through.” When he awoke in the morning, he told the man who was with him, “I know that today I will cross the border because this is what I dreamed.” And so it was — that very day, he crossed the border into Grenitz. Regarding this dream, there are more details, but they were forgotten because they were not written down at the time.

120

In the year 1810, he traveled to Uman. In the year 1811, he passed away there. All the deeds that occurred during each journey, and in every place where he stayed, some have already been recorded elsewhere, but most have been forgotten. Besides this, there is much more that we do not know at all, for certainly no one knows the content of his holy intentions during his journeys.

121

In the year 1805, between Passover and Shavuot, [Rabbi Nachman of Breslov] traveled to Shargorod and stayed there for two weeks. This journey was also extremely mysterious. Suddenly, he left, saying he was fleeing as interest like one flees from fire. Later, there were several large fires in Shargorod, and he remarked that if the people of Shargorod only knew the good that I did for them, etc. Nonetheless, it is better than rot, heaven forbid. From his words, it is understood that his stay there saved them from rot, heaven forbid. These are the journeys of the Children of Israel. Fortunate is the one who merits to know even one secret of these wondrous journeys that seemed to have no apparent reason. He said at the time of his journey to Navritch: If people knew the matter of my journey, they would kiss my steps, for with every step I take on my journey, I tip the entire world to the side of merit.

122

In the summer of 1802, before he left Zlatipolye for Breslov, he spent the summer in Berdichev with his father, the righteous and pious Rabbi Simcha, of blessed memory. At that time, there was a strong dispute with the elder who was known, and during the dispute, the elder said he would bring letters from all the famous tzaddikim who were all opposed to [Rabbi Nachman]. However, it was quite the opposite. Letters came from all the famous figures to our holy teacher, of blessed memory, supporting him with great love, and they wrote harsh words to the elder. Among them were the righteous and pious Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, the pious Rabbi Gedalia of Linitz, Rabbi Nachman’s holy uncle, Rabbi Baruch, of blessed memory, Rabbi Ze’ev of Tchernausht, Rabbi Avraham Kalisker from the Land of Israel, and his in-law, Rabbi Leibush of Valtchisck, as well as his in-law, Rabbi Avraham Dov of Hmelnik. All of them wrote letters of great honor and immense love to our holy teacher, of blessed memory, and severely denounced the elder. But the elder did not listen to them and continued to fuel a senseless dispute over nothing.

That summer, our teacher, of blessed memory, traveled to Berdichev, where there was a gathering of several great figures. His in-law, the esteemed Rabbi of Valtchisck, held a wedding in Berdichev for his son, Rabbi Nachman’s grandson, of blessed memory, and many great figures were present. Some of them I know, including the great Rabbi of Valtchisck, his son, the esteemed Rabbi Yosef Yoska, of blessed memory, head of the rabbinical court in the holy community of Iasi, the pious Rabbi Ze’ev of Tchernausht, the great Rabbi Moshe, of blessed memory, head of the rabbinical court in the holy community of Krasna, the son of the holy Rabbi Chaim of Krasna, the pious Rabbi Yitzchak, of blessed memory, of Konstantin Khadash, and many other great figures.

They all convened there to excommunicate the elder for disgracing a true Torah scholar, namely our holy teacher, of blessed memory. The matter was already settled among them with unanimous agreement, and they were prepared to act on it. However, one individual in Berdichev disrupted the matter by appealing to the holy Rabbi, head of the rabbinical court in Berdichev, and argued that it would not be fitting to take such action in his city. As a result, the matter was disrupted.

At that time, our holy teacher, of blessed memory, was with the holy Rabbi of Berdichev, who received him with great honor, immense love, and deep affection. For the Rabbi of Berdichev had always supported our teacher, from beginning to end, but he did not want the excommunication to take place in his city due to those who had spoken to him, as mentioned. This caused the matter to be disrupted.

Afterwards, when our teacher, of blessed memory, left Berdichev, he traveled to Tulchin, where he met with the people of Breslov. They received him with the agreement of the holy Rabbi Baruch, of blessed memory, and he arrived there in mid-Elul.

123

Before traveling to Berdichev he assembled a minyan of ten men and argued in their presence with the Ba`al Davar/Accuser. And I do not entirely know this matter in detail. But he said that from that time on, whatever he wants to do, the Ba`al Davar lets himself span the length and the width [of the universe] to ruin it, and on account of this it is very hard to carry out his instructions, but nonetheless Hashem Yitbarakh is at his help. And whoever has been privileged to draw close to him has seen as little of this. And all his days Rabbeinu z"l had no peace, even one moment. For he was constantly waging Hashem's war every single moment.

<ודע שיש בידינו כתיבת יד רבינו ז"ל שכתב בעצמו, וזה לשונו: דעו אחי ורעי, אגלה לכם סוד, ותצניעו את הסוד הזה להיות כמוס ביניכם, כדי ...שלא להרבות מחלקת בישראל> .. "I am the true Elder on the side of holiness."^[8] ... .עכ"ל ..."There is an Arikh Anpin of the Klipah" (LM #242)... "Ve'et-ha`orevim tziviti" (LM II #4)... "U'tzedakah tihyeh lanu" (LM #251)... and more... and in the tale of the Fly and the Spider...

Copyist's note: I heard that one time Rabbeinu z"l and that elder were brought together, as the public wanted to make peace between them^[9] The Zeyde asked the Rebbe, "How is it possible that an old man like me, with no teeth, could want strife?" And he took Rabbeinu z"l's finger and put it in his mouth to prove to him that he hadn't any teeth. "I will just ask you about a few things that you have said. Is it true you said there is a city of Zlatipolia in Heaven?" Rabbeinu z"l said, "Isn't this the explicit statement of our Rabbis z"l? — '`Arim gedolot uvtzuroth bashamayim/Great and fortified cities in Heaven" [Deut. 1:28] — as there are cities down below, so are there cities above [see Ta`anit 5a]. Then he asked Rabbeinu z"l, "Is it true that you said that [when you were] in Zlatipolia you were remedying Yerov`am's error?" He answered, "True," and told him the concept that he explained [in LM II #64] which speaks about repairing the fault of `avodah zarah/foreign mode of service, repairing "Eleh eloheikha, Yisrael/These are your gods, O Yisrael" [Ex. 32] by fulfilling [self-inflicted wanderings as in] "Eleh mas`ei venei Yisrael/These are the journeys of the sons of Yisrael" [Num. 33]; and there this is understood implicitly. Then he continued and asked, "Is it true that you said that you have been in Mashiach's palace?" Rabbeinu z"l replied, "And what of it? Were you there and did not find me? But since you are asking me — if you come with me to my house to drink a tea or coffee together with me, and inform the public that you go back on your words and regret the strife, I will explain the thing's inner meaning and concept." The Zeyde answered him, "I'll have to first go home and then come to you." As the Zeyde was leaving from Rabbeinu z"l, Rabbeinu z"l heard him say: And how would I appear in the eyes of my wealthy supporters, if I go to him and make peace with him, etc.?

Rabbeinu z"l said, "If he would have first come to my house as I had said to him, I might have had peace with him, but now there will be no peace between me and him and he will carry on with the conflict. But — I am not afraid of him at all, for didn't he show me he has no teeth?" Copyists note: See the tale of "The Fly and the Spider" [Sipurei Ma`asiyot #7] which relates to this matter, as explained there, that the enemies of the mountain, before they wanted to go up on the mountain their teeth fell out and they were unable to go up.

"I have such an enemy! Ikh hob azoy a soneh vas er kilt zikh andersh nit in mir, saydin er zeyt mayn blut/His anger and wrath at me is not cooled off except by seeing my blood!" [Rabbi Natan adds:] But he did not say who this enemy was. This he said on his last Rosh haShanah, when he gave the lesson "Tik`u — Tokhachah/Blow the shofar — Rebuke" [LM II #8], when he coughed up a great deal of blood, as explained in Chayei Moharan and Yemei Moharnat.>

When that elder began to oppose him he said, "I knew that the Samekh-Mem <and his agents> would rise up against me etc., but I am surprised that they handed this off to him. And he said, then, a pun: For, our Rabbis z"l have said that it is "better for a man to cast himself down into a den of lions [and snakes] and not be given over to his enemies" [Y. Reuveni, Vayeshev] — but what does one do when his enemy himself is an Aryeh/lion? <Then he said this is the explanation of, "Va'ani er'eh ve'son'ai/And I will gaze upon those that hate me" [Ps. 118:7], for apparently it is surprising: surely David Hamelekh a"h knew that Shaul hates him, so how could he want to see his downfall: didn't Hashem Yitbarakh tell him (Mo`ed Katan 16:2), "If you were Shaul and he were David [I would have destroyed many Davids for him etc.]?" Rather, David said thus: Master of the Universe, give me eyes that I may see in my enemies how he is standing presently, on what level he is now standing, and thereby I will know my level with clarity. And then he said a pun:> But "Rabot machashavot beLeibish [beLev-ish] ve`atzat Hashem hi takum/Many are the contrivances in Leibish [a man's heart], but it is Hashem's counsel that shall stand" [a pun on Prov. 19:21]. He said in the future to come there will be a nice little game with him: "Oyf yener velt vet zayn asheyn shpilkhen mit ihm." Then Rabbeinu z"l spoke several Torot that touch upon the subject of the controversy of that elder; see there and discern. Blessed is Hashem Who has delivered us from him and let us be in the portion of Rabbeinu hakadosh z"l.

124

On the Shabbat of Hanukkah, 1808, which was shortly after his return from Lemberg, as in the summer of 1808 he had come back from Lemberg to his home, during that Hanukkah, he delivered the teaching that begins with, "The days of Hanukkah are days of thanksgiving" in Likutey Tinyana (Second Collection), Torah 2. At that time, he commanded them to sing at the table the Psalm, "A Song of Ascents for David: Had it not been the Lord who was on our side." They sang this psalm in front of him several times without count on the night of Shabbat. On another occasion, when he was sitting in Medvedevka, he also sang this psalm "Had it not been the Lord" several times. Afterward, he turned his face to the people and said, "You are still not considered as my true people, because there will come a time when the whole world will rise up against me and oppose me, and then whoever will stand strong and remain with me will be considered truly among my people." [We have none to rely on except our Father in Heaven, for many arose against him and against us, but had it not been the Lord who was on our side, etc.]

125

I heard in his name that he said that when he was in Berdychiv in the summer of 1802 with the aforementioned elder (as previously mentioned), he then said that at that time, he became aware of the entire essence and nature of that elder. Until that moment, he had not spoken about him at all, for he said he did not want to speak about him until he fully understood his essence and nature. Afterward, he began to speak about him a little, though very rarely.

126

Our practice was to be with him on Rosh Hashanah, Shabbat Chanukah, and Shavuot. On these three occasions, we were always with him from the day he established his residence here in Breslov. He would command and warn to be with him during these three times, and he would always give a wonderful and lengthy Torah lesson on these occasions.

On Rosh Hashanah, he would give the lesson between sunset and nightfall, between the first and second day. He would begin at twilight and continue long into the night of the second day of Rosh Hashanah. On Shabbat Chanukah, he would deliver the teaching during the third meal, and on Shavuot, he would also give it between the twilight of the second day of Shavuot and deep into the night, just as he did on Rosh Hashanah.

However, he emphasized most strongly to be with him on Rosh Hashanah. He would say that on Rosh Hashanah, he wanted all of his followers to be together with him, and no one should be missing. The greatness of his insistence to be with him on Rosh Hashanah is beyond measure, and he would emphasize this multiple times, saying that his entire focus was on Rosh Hashanah. Even on his last Rosh Hashanah in Uman, he spoke with us about the greatness of one who merits being with him on Rosh Hashanah and said in these words: "What can I tell you, there is nothing greater than this."

He also said that while with other tzaddikim it may not be such an obligation to be with them specifically on Rosh Hashanah, here it is something unique. He hinted that he was unwilling to explain the reason, as if to say that without this, there would already be many unanswered questions, and this would add yet another difficulty, regarding why he places such great importance on being with him on Rosh Hashanah more than with any other tzaddik.

For although people would travel to other tzaddikim for Rosh Hashanah, none of them was as insistent and demanding about it as he was. In another place (Likutey Moharan 503), he explains further what he commanded about making a public proclamation, etc., and he said then that whoever merits being with him on Rosh Hashanah should greatly rejoice. "Eat delicacies, etc."

He also regularly gave Torah lessons three times a year: once in the winter when he traveled to Techerin or Teravitze, where he stayed for three meals and gave two Torah teachings, one on Shabbat Shirah and another on some other Shabbat. In the summer, he would also travel there, but he only gave a teaching once, in Techerin on Shabbat Nachamu.

In summary, these six occasions—three times in his home and three times while traveling—were when he regularly delivered Torah lessons. Beyond these, he had no set time for giving Torah teachings, as he would not sit with us for the third meal, except on those specific Shabbatot. Throughout the year, he would always eat the third meal alone in his room, but even so, we would hear many Torah teachings from him throughout the year, just without any set time or schedule. Rather, whenever it happened that Hashem gave us the opportunity, we would merit hearing wonderful Torah teachings from his mouth. Sometimes it was on Friday night, sometimes on Shabbat morning, sometimes on Saturday night after Havdalah, and sometimes on weekdays.

There were many times when, through his casual conversation, when he would discuss worldly matters with us, we would end up hearing much Torah from him. And the Torah he shared would be related to all the conversations we had just had with him. This happened so frequently that we began to recognize with our own eyes that all his speech was entirely Torah. Every time we paid close attention to his holy conversation, we heard that all his words were wondrous Torah. Eventually, we began to write down some of his conversations, but only a fraction of them was recorded, not even one in a thousand.

Fortunate is the moment, fortunate is the time, fortunate is the hour when we merited to stand before him and hear the holy breath of his mouth. If only we could have such an opportunity now—we would gladly travel thousands of miles through dust just to merit standing before him and hearing the holy breath of his mouth, which surpasses all holiness.

127

Once, Rabbi Nachman traveled to Medvedivka and was delayed on the way, failing to arrive by Shabbat. He was forced to spend Shabbat in the nearby village of Alawkiuk. The horses became exhausted and couldn’t continue, and it was already close to Shabbat candle-lighting when they arrived at that village. Later, when he returned home, he recounted the entire episode to us at length. He said that as the horses were traveling close to evening, he wanted them to rush, but they wouldn’t move quickly. He said it felt like running away in a dream, where one feels the need to escape but is unable to do so, as is commonly experienced in dreams. This was his experience at that time, and he was deeply distressed, fearing that he might inadvertently desecrate Shabbat, Heaven forbid.

He said it seemed to him, during the journey, as though he were being led to Gehinnom (purgatory), where the terror would undoubtedly be beyond measure. This was precisely the fear he felt due to his concern about possibly desecrating Shabbat, Heaven forbid. From his words, I grasped a bit of the terrifying dread a person experiences when being led to Gehinnom, Heaven forbid. This fear is indescribable in writing, as he repeated his words twice, emphasizing the great and overwhelming terror that befalls a person in such a situation, a fear beyond measure and comprehension. This exact fear overwhelmed him then because he was afraid of desecrating Shabbat, Heaven forbid.

This incident occurred in the winter, before Shabbat Shira. There’s a complete story here, as Rabbi Nachman's delay was not meaningless, especially when he was traveling for Shabbat Shira. His followers had already gathered there from several towns, and he needed to deliver his holy and awe-inspiring Torah, as well as to do and rectify what he would normally accomplish through his holy teachings and his work with his followers. He said that whenever there was a gathering where he had to deliver a Torah to his followers, it brought upon him the same fear and trembling that befalls the entirety of Israel on Erev Yom Kippur in the evening, when people head to the synagogue. This fear and trembling overtook him on that particular Shabbat or Yom Tov when he had to deliver a Torah in public.

After this great commotion and fear, when he was already prepared to arrive for Shabbat Shira, as was his custom for many years, he was suddenly delayed and had to spend Shabbat in that village with his followers and a few other people who had already come to meet him. They all had to spend Shabbat in that village, with nothing to eat or drink. They were forced to eat bread made from grains and to make Kiddush on the bread, for there was no cup to make Kiddush on the brandy, and they didn’t even have a knife or any utensils. After Shabbat, Rabbi Nachman traveled to Medvedivka, and on Monday it was Tu Bishvat. They held a meal, and he sat with his followers and then delivered the Torah that he was meant to deliver to them earlier.

Fortunate is the one who can comprehend even one thing from what Rabbi Nachman experienced, for in all of his actions were tremendous, awesome, and wondrous secrets.

128

After Rabbi Nachman returned from Lemberg, he no longer traveled to Ukraine to deliver Torahs as he used to, due to his illness. Once, on Shabbat Shira, he was reminiscing, speaking about how, in the past, he used to travel across the land during these times and deliver wondrous Torahs. He spoke as if longing for those days and said that when he would sit in the wagon, it was a unique experience. When he arrived in the city where he was traveling, and people came out to greet him and showed him honor, it was another unique experience. When he entered the city, it was yet another. When he delivered Torah there, it was another experience. Afterward, when he received money, it was another. He calculated in this way several different experiences, each one distinct, and from his words, it was clear that in his travels, there was an extraordinary, unique, and awesome spiritual labor in each aspect — whether in the traveling itself, in the honor he received, or in the other aspects, as described above.

[#129-150] His Journey to the Land of Israel

129

At first, before he traveled to the Land of Israel, he went to Kamenitz, as already explained in the book that has been printed. And on his journey to Kamenitz, he said to Rabbi Shimon, "I have a journey ahead of me, but I don’t know where to." Rabbi Shimon laughed and said, "How can one travel if they don’t know where they are going?" He answered, "In truth, I don’t know."

Rabbi Shimon then prepared a wagon and horses and all the necessities for the journey, and he traveled with him. While on the journey, he asked our Master, of blessed memory, to travel through the village of Valchavitz. There, they picked up another man, and one more man joined them from there, until they arrived in Medzhibuzh. And still, they did not know where they were going.

When they arrived in Medzhibuzh, at the home of his righteous father and mother, of blessed memory, they were very happy about his arrival. His mother, of blessed memory, responded and said to him, "My son, when will you go to your grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory?" – meaning to his holy gravesite. Our Master, of blessed memory, answered, "If my grandfather wants to see me, he will come here."

Later that night, he lay down to sleep, and in the morning, his mother came to him and said, "Your grandfather was already here with you. When will you go to him?" – meaning to his gravesite. Our Master, of blessed memory, replied, "Now I won’t go to his gravesite. On my return, God willing, I will visit his gravesite." And so it was.

Before they arrived in Medzhibuzh, Rabbi Shimon fell ill and came to Medzhibuzh with a very severe illness. Our Master, of blessed memory, had to leave him there in Medzhibuzh and did not travel with him to Kamenitz. When our Master, of blessed memory, went to Rabbi Shimon to take leave of him and travel to Kamenitz, Rabbi Shimon did not want to let him go until he promised on his holy word that he would surely find him alive and well upon his return. And so it was.

Before he left his home, he asked Rabbi Shimon, "Will you be able to travel with me?" Rabbi Shimon replied that his journey might be delayed by a week, or two, or a month, or a quarter of a year, or half a year, or even a full year. At first, Rabbi Shimon, of blessed memory, was silent. But when he saw that he really wanted to travel, Rabbi Shimon said that he would leave everything behind and travel with him, even if the journey would be delayed by some time. And so he traveled with him, as mentioned above.

In Medzhibuzh, when our Master, of blessed memory, took leave of him before his journey, while Rabbi Shimon was lying ill, Rabbi Shimon responded and said to our Master, of blessed memory, "When will I see you again? Won't you be delayed on the road for a while, as you said at home that you didn’t know how long the delay would be?" Our Master answered, "I won’t be delayed, only for eight or ten days, no more."

Rabbi Shimon then asked, "But didn’t you say at your home that you didn’t know how long you would be delayed on the road here?" He replied, "In truth, at home I didn’t know. But now I know that I must go to Kamenitz and that I won’t be delayed for long, only as mentioned. For that very night, the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, appeared to me, and then I was told where to travel – to Kamenitz." And he traveled immediately to Kamenitz, and what he did there remains hidden from everyone to this day, until the coming of the Redeemer, speedily in our days, Amen.

130

When he returned from Kaminetz, he taught a lesson on Shabbat on the verse: "My soul clings after You" (Psalms 63:9). It was an incredibly wondrous teaching, and he took great pride in himself, saying, "And if I can give such a teaching just after returning from Kaminetz, how much more so will I be able to reveal when I return from the Land of Israel—teachings even more wondrous and profound, and so forth."

131

When he returned from Kaminetz, a young girl passed away near him, may she rest in peace. He responded and said, "Heaven forbid that anyone should die near me for the sake of a single motion—a distinction that exists between me before I was in Kaminetz and after I was there. May God save us."

132

When he traveled to the Land of Israel, he passed through Nikolaev and Kherson on the way to Odessa. He spent Shavuot in Kherson and gave wondrous teachings there on the verse: "He raises the storm to stillness" (Psalms 107:29), along with other teachings. There were men there from the rabbi of Ladi, and they brought before him the teachings of that rabbi. He refuted his words in front of his followers, showing them that what the rabbi said was not correct.

On the night of Shavuot, after staying awake as is customary, he went to the mikveh with one of his followers. That man later told me that while they were walking to the mikveh, our Rebbe, of blessed memory, asked him repeatedly whether he could hear sounds. The man responded that he could not hear anything at all. Our Rebbe was very astonished that he could not hear and said, "How is it possible not to hear sounds at such a time?" Then he said, "Perhaps it is the sound of the choir [*kapelya*] that I am hearing." The man responded that he could not hear any choir or any sound at all, and Rebbe was greatly amazed. The man realized that the Rebbe was hearing the sounds and thunders of the receiving of the Torah.

Later, after leaving the mikveh, Rebbe said, "It has now been revealed to me, during the receiving of the Torah, regarding what is stated in the holy *Zohar*: 'There is fear, and there is fear,' etc. And now it has been revealed to me that there is yet another fear, even greater than *Yirat Ila'ah* [higher fear] mentioned there. For it has now been made known to me the fear of Divine greatness, a fear and awe that is extremely elevated, exalted, and lofty beyond measure."

133

It was heard from his holy mouth before his departure from Medvedivka to the Land of Israel during the days of Passover that he said he wanted to travel to the Land of Israel in order to fulfill all 613 commandments, to unite all the commandments that depend on the Land with those of the diaspora, and to fulfill them together in a spiritual way. Then, afterward, he would be able to fulfill them properly in a physical sense. There are many discussions and stories regarding these matters, as understood from the people who related them to me, but I was not present, so much is missing, and I could only collect a small amount. He said that for this reason as well, he was traveling to the Land of Israel. For previously, when he needed something from his grandfather, Rabbi Nachman, of blessed memory, who rests in the Land of Israel, he would send the tzaddik Rabbi Yeshaya, of blessed memory, who rests in Samil. And now, etc., he could no longer send him. Therefore, he was traveling to the Land of Israel to speak with his grandfather, of blessed memory, and to establish with him a way by which he could always know what he needed to know from him. And it seems he had many reasons for his journey to the Land of Israel, in addition to the hidden ones that he did not reveal at all. For everything he did was never for just one reason; rather, in every action, there were many thousands and tens of thousands of elevated and profound reasons, and particularly regarding his journey to the Land of Israel, for which he sacrificed his life immeasurably, as has already been explained.

134

I heard in his name that he said before traveling to the Land of Israel that he wanted to go in order to attain the higher wisdom. For there is higher wisdom and lower wisdom, and he had already attained the lower wisdom, but still needed to attain the higher wisdom, and for this, he was traveling to the Land of Israel. And it was heard from his holy mouth that he said that as soon as he walked four cubits in the Land of Israel, he immediately merited to attain everything he sought and desired, for which he traveled to the Land of Israel. I also heard from his holy mouth something similar regarding the great joy and satisfaction he had as soon as he arrived in the Land of Israel, as his will and longing were immediately fulfilled, etc.

135

At that time, he told Rabbi Yudel that he wanted to travel to the Land of Israel, and Rabbi Yudel blessed him. Our teacher said to him, "Certainly, you wish to accomplish something great there. May it be the will of God that He helps you achieve what you desire." He nodded his head in agreement with the blessing. Afterward, he said, "I could accomplish my request and purpose, the matter I want to achieve in the Land of Israel, even here, through prayers, requests, and supplications alone, without needing to travel to the Land of Israel. The only difference is that when I merit to be in the Land of Israel, I will receive my understanding through garments, but here, in the diaspora, I cannot receive my understanding through garments, only without them. And this is the difference between the sanctity of Shabbat and the sanctity of Yom Tov." Then, he opened the *Siddur* of the Ari, of blessed memory, for Rabbi Yudel and showed him in the intentions (*kavanot*) that this is the difference between Shabbat and Yom Tov. On Shabbat, the light is clothed in garments, and on Yom Tov, the light is without garments, as is known.

136

At the outset of his journey to the Land of Israel, he stopped in the village of Skalya, where he met the renowned tzaddik, our teacher Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. During their encounter, Rabbi Nachman revealed to him that the Name "Ata" (אַתָּה) holds a special capacity at sea, as is cited in Rabbi Nachman’s own work in section 256, where it is written, "When the waves rise, You [Ata] still them" (Psalms 89:10). There is more to recount regarding what I heard in his name, but I cannot recall it now, and we must inquire with those close to us who heard it from Rabbi Shimon in this matter.

[The copyist adds here: I heard from someone who had heard from Rabbi Shimon that the explanation is as follows: "Ata" represents the initials Aleph-Tav-Heh. Therefore, one must write five kvitlach (notes), and on each note, write the two letters "Ata" and "VeRav Chesed" ("and great kindness"). The gematria of these two is fourteen hundred, which equals Aleph-Tav. "VeRav Chesed" itself equals 285, and multiplying that by five gives one thousand four hundred. The five kvitlach correspond to the letter Heh, thus forming the Name Ata. During a storm at sea, one must throw these five kvitlach, with "VeRav Chesed" written on them, into the sea, and it will surely help. Rabbi Shimon said he himself used this method, and it greatly benefited him. Before his second journey to the Land of Israel, while in Breslev, he went to a scribe and had several of these kvitlach written on parchment, in Ashurit script.]

137

On his journey by sea, immediately after departing from Odessa, where he sailed on the Black Sea, there was a great commotion and a fierce storm. Then, a certain deceased person who had recently passed came to him, and our teacher, Rabbi Nachman, of blessed memory, asked the man accompanying him, "Did you see the young child from Valachovitz who was here?" However, this story is no longer surprising, as afterward, he engaged extensively in rectifying the souls of the dead—thousands and tens of thousands of them. This was a central aspect of his spiritual work, as was heard from his holy mouth, and the main reason for his passing was also due to this, as explained in its place. See there for further details.

138

Previously, people did not travel to the Land of Israel via Odessa because they were afraid to take that route. But he was the first to travel through Odessa when he went to the Land of Israel, and from then on, the path became established, and everyone began traveling that way. Likewise, there were several other practices that he initiated, and afterward, they became common practice in the world.

Also, when he was in the Land of Israel, he visited various gravesites. There was a particular grave of a young child (*yanuka*) where people had always been afraid to enter the cave, as it was said that a snake dwelt there. Moreover, there was a peculiar phenomenon where a tree grew over the cave. Rabbi Nachman was the first who was not deterred by this and entered the cave. He even held the root of the tree in his hand, as the root extended into the ground, running through the hollow of the cave. And there was no snake there. Since then, everyone has freely visited that grave.

I, too, merited to be at that grave of the young child, as described, and I saw all this with my own eyes—praise to the living God!

139

Before coming to the Land of Israel, he underwent great sufferings and significant obstacles which are impossible to fully explain or describe. In Istanbul, he cast himself into extreme poverty and wore tattered clothing, going barefoot and without a hat, wandering the streets as one of the lowest of the low. He also engaged in many other acts of extreme humility and mockery, which are too numerous to detail. Additionally, he encountered two individuals in Istanbul who had previously been in the Land of Israel and had returned when our Rabbi, blessed memory, was there. They met him on his way to the Land of Israel and did not recognize him. They thought he was a trickster, God forbid, and treated him with all kinds of insults for several days, which he accepted in silence and even took measures to ensure they would continue to insult him. Our Rabbi, blessed memory, said that if it weren't for the extreme humility and insults he endured, it would have been impossible for him to come to the Land of Israel due to the obstacles he faced. For wherever he went, there was great strife in the world and the French were surrounding the Land of Israel, and the obstacles he faced were indescribable. He also mentioned that the revered Baal Shem Tov, blessed memory, and the great Rabbi Naphtali, blessed memory, could not come to the Land of Israel due to the obstacles they faced. Our Rabbi, blessed memory, faced all the obstacles that they did and overcame them all. The humility he practiced was very beneficial to him; otherwise, he would not have been able to arrive there.

140

I heard in the name of our Rabbi, blessed memory, that before one can achieve greatness, they must first experience humility. The Land of Israel is a level of greatness that necessitates a prior stage of humility. Therefore, the Baal Shem Tov, blessed memory, was unable to come to the Land of Israel because he could not descend into such a level of humility. However, he, blessed memory, was worthy of coming to the Land of Israel through the immense level of humility he achieved, which enabled him to reach such a high level of greatness. The degree of achievement he reached in the Land of Israel is beyond what can be described, and it is impossible to fully explain the extent of the greatness he attained there, as he ascended to a very high and exalted level. It is forbidden to speak of it in a way that would diminish or lessen its honor, as we do not have the words to properly convey the essence of his achievement and status. Our Rabbi, blessed memory, represented an extraordinary renewal that had never been seen in previous generations. He himself stated that if there had not been such a generation that understood the diminishment of that generation, he would have been a great renewal in the world. But due to our many sins, the generation was not worthy of revealing the light, and it did not manifest even a drop from the sea.

141

Upon his return from the Land of Israel over the Great White Sea, they had six orders of Mishnah with them. He studied them and, upon reaching Mishnah 2 in Sotah Chapter 5, Rabbi Yehoshua said, “Who will reveal the dust from your eyes? Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, you used to say that a certain generation will be revealed,” and he was greatly inspired. He struck his hands together and said, “Who sees like me? For it has been revealed to me in this Mishnah a matter that was not desired to be revealed, and one matter was revealed to the person who was with him.”

142

When he came from the Land of Israel, he said, “In this way I have fulfilled the entire Torah in every manner, for I have achieved the fulfillment of the entire Torah. Even if they had sold me to Ishmael in distant lands where there were no Jews and he would send me to tend to beasts, and even if I did not know when the Sabbath and holidays were and I would not have a tallit, tefillin, sukkah, or any other mitzvah, nevertheless, I would have been able to fulfill the entire Torah.” This is already explained elsewhere.

143

When he came from the Land of Israel, he taught on the verse “Make for yourself a serpent and set it on a pole” on Friday night. Later, at the third meal, he taught on the verse “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” This teaching was already printed in Likutei A and it was very precious and significant in his eyes.

144

One time after he came from the Land of Israel, the Maggid from Mezerich, blessed memory, was with him on Shabbat at his meal and said, “Our Rabbi, blessed memory, taught then on the verse ‘This is a generation of those who seek Him,’ that according to the generation, so are the seekers of that generation. The Torah he taught was not worthy to be written down. The Maggid, blessed memory, then said in the following language to the Maggid of Mezerich, blessed memory, ‘You are the generation, and I am the seeker of your generation.’”

145

Upon their return from the Land of Israel during their journey from the Dniester River, they were compelled to change their garments and appeared like young merchants of the present day. Because of this, several people mistook them for worldly frivolities and thought they were among the worldly pleasures, and so forth. When they arrived in Uman, they encountered trials and so forth. And then, upon his departure from there, he quickly granted merit to the world and said, “Know that all our ways are to understand that there are trials in the world, and one can easily stumble if not careful. And he said, ‘Woe to the one who stands there,’ meaning the owner of the wagon understood and saw that there was great immorality and adultery there, may the Merciful One save us. But he said that with the help of the Blessed Name, it will be good; what was there would not be found there anymore in that place. And then his attitude cooled. Also, in the town of Teplik, they did not know anything about him, and he entered the house of a teacher who welcomed him for Shabbat and did not want to, due to the impression that he seemed, God forbid, to be like the thieves. He then went to the person who was with him and told him.”

146

And upon his arrival in Shpoliye, they dressed themselves in their garments. And at the house of the elder there, who later became a major opponent of him, at that time the elder did not yet disagree with him. Only, on the contrary, there was great love between them, and the elder received him with great honor and affection. And he made a great celebration and feast for him, and they both sat at the table all night long. And other important people who were esteemed by him were all gathered at the table in honor of our Rabbi, blessed memory. There was great joy there. And everyone who came to his house, the elder would receive them as witnesses and would say to them, “Testify that my way is not at all to eat the night meal, but now, because of the love of this dear guest, who is very precious to me, I have great enjoyment and pleasure from his visit, I eat with him.” And I did not know what to do because of the joy and so forth. And in the morning, they spoke together with great love and affection. For all their days, there was great love between them until the time our Rabbi, blessed memory, departed from Mezhbizh to Zlatipe, which was about a year and a half later, after which our Rabbi, blessed memory, returned from the Land of Israel to his house. Then informers and gossips went and spoke before him much slander until he became a great enemy and was dressed in it, causing what he caused due to his disputes. And the famous Gaon from Shpitivke, blessed memory, cursed those informers with harsh curses and said in this language, “Their tongues will be twisted until their navel,” and so forth. And when our Rabbi, blessed memory, heard these dubious words that did not enter his mind, he said, “I am very pained that they delivered this to him.” And then he said that this is the interpretation of what David said: “And I will see in my enemy.” For seemingly it is puzzling, as David the king, peace be upon him, knew that Saul was his enemy, and how did he want to see his revenge? Is it not that the Blessed Name said to him, “If you are Saul and he is David,” and so forth? However, this is what David, the Master of the Universe, said: “Give me eyes to see how my enemy stands to know at what level he is now.” And by this, I will clearly understand his level and so forth.

147

Before he traveled to the Land of Israel, someone asked him why he did not bring them closer or speak with them. He said that he had no words to share at that time. He explained that it was known to him now from the verse, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you" (Isaiah 43:2), how can one see when they desire the forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And also, it was a novelty to him concerning why this verse is particularly appropriate. But he thought that since I need to cross the sea, why is it necessary for you? What need is there for you in this? Even if I could clothe it in a lesson that would be necessary for everyone, I currently have no words. Afterwards, he would go and return home and answer, saying, "I am poor and more destitute than all the great ones; this one has wealth, and that one has money, and this one has property, and I have nothing at all. But this is all my comfort when I mention that in the world of truth, everyone will need me and will yearn to hear the novelties I renew at all times and every moment. What am I?! Only, what my soul renews."

148

He said: The whole World needs me. Not only you and people like you, as you know yourselves. But even those Tzaddikim who know how to daven, I can show them that they don’t know at all what is Prayer, and could show them the path of Prayer. And also even very great Tzaddikim, who already go only with Yichudim, I can show them that they don’t know at all the way of Yichudim, and can show them the path of Yichudim.

149

The Maggid from Mezritch went half a parsa swiftly on foot to greet him upon his arrival from the Land of Israel. He was close to Kanivlad, as our Rabbi, of blessed memory, traveled that way to his home and saw a man there from the Maggid’s followers at the bridge near the city. The man was greatly agitated and told him that our Rabbi, of blessed memory, should go and inform the Maggid in a whisper that he should travel to the nearby village, which is half a parsa away. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, did not want to stop and enter the city, and the man ran hastily and informed the Maggid. The Maggid was then outside, speaking with people without a hat or belt. As soon as the Maggid heard that he was of blessed memory, he cried out in awe from great joy and told the man to quickly harness his carriage and run after him to the village, while he would walk on foot until he caught up with him. The Maggid ran immediately in great haste without a hat or belt until he left the city and continued running until he reached the village on foot, as he had arrived earlier than his carriage, even though the man had hastened to harness the horses and run quickly after the Maggid. Nevertheless, the Maggid went so quickly that he reached the village on foot before the carriage did. The man with the carriage did not catch up with him until an hour after he entered our Rabbi, of blessed memory. I have recorded this to understand the greatness of the eagerness and fervor of those who are ardent to hear the word of God and see the countenance of the true great righteous ones.

150

A copy of a letter from the Holy One, the renowned genius, our master Rabbi Abraham, of blessed memory, known as Rabbi Abraham Kalisker, who sent from the Holy Land to our Rabbi, of blessed memory. This is his greeting: “There is great peace and salvation to my soul. May the great Rabbi, the renowned and holy one, our master Rabbi Nachman, his light shine, from the holy lineage, descendant of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory. May his merit protect us forever. May the light of the name shine upon him, and upon all his household and those joined to him, great peace. Amen, so may it be. Novelties from the Land [of Israel] to inform about the arrival of our emissaries this year in the month of Shevat, and we were very happy to hear from the outpouring of his peace. For he arrived home in peace, and we saw that the connection of his love did not waver. In his entire heart, he desires our good, and he conducted his journey himself to the land of Rysin. May it be that the Lord is with him. Regarding the events in the holy land in all the past details after the journey of his honor from us, it has already been known to him certainly through our beloved the emissary, the exceptional one, our master Rabbi Eliezer, and concerning the interpretation we received with the people of the state of Wallin, we have not yet collected anything from them, and we do not know what will be the end of this matter. And behold, we are confused in the land from much distress and worry, hoping for the salvation of the Lord at all times, for we have not yet been redeemed from any place, and also from the land of Rysin, we have no knowledge of what has been done there regarding this matter after the journey of his honor there. It will be necessary to show faces and tell them all the distress we have encountered. We are hoping that he will inform us of the high rank of his honor, the details of what he did there. And this should be known what remains that we are obliged to support, all of us must pay, and it is as hard as the patience of the burden-bearer, as we are oppressed at all times with fears and terrors. And with miracles and wonders until we see at all times the necessity, the blessed name will provide a place, and I waited for the Lord who hides His face and hoped for His salvation, and in Him, I waited. May He have mercy on us as He afflicted us, so may He also make us happy.” [From here onward, it is written in his own sacred handwriting] “I, with the strength of my love, eternal love, His praise is on my lips, in the adornment and wrapping of my soul to the Lord, may He illuminate His face with him from the place of His Shechinah and shine upon him. He goes with light and radiance, His lamp shining on his head, the light of the world, and strengthens his power, strength from the Lord, the end of action, in thought and beginning. And my soul knows very well with deep affection forever and demands peace for his Torah and intercedes for him, and so may he also intercede for me at all times. Signed by the small one, Abraham, son of my master, my father, our master Rabbi Alexander Katz, of blessed memory, for the life of the world to come. My grandson, the young scholar, our master Rabbi Israel Eliezer, may he live, seeks his peace with all his heart and soul and desires his prayer.”

[#151-166] His Journey to Navritch, Zaslav, Dubna and Brod

151

In the year [5]566, which was the fourth year of his residence here in Breslev, which was the fourth year of my drawing close to him, for when he entered here I drew close to him immediately after, as mentioned above — then in the summer of [5]566 in the month of Sivan his baby son Shelomoh Efrayim z"l passed away. And [statements] regarding the interest of this dear holy child has already been described elsewhere, that Rabeinu z"l said: that he was already fit <to be Mashiach>. And then after the boy died, when we came to him afterwards he began talking with us regarding tikkun haneshamot/the repair of souls; regarding the Ba`al haSadeh/Master of the Field, that there is a field wherein souls grow, and they need the Ba`al haSadeh to repair them, and he who girds his loins to be the Ba`al haSadeh has countless many afflictions upon him, as explained in the Torah "Vayomer Bo`az el Ruth" (in Likutei I:65); see there.

And from that time on, he spoke very much regarding the repair of souls, and especially when he returned from Lemberg when he entered Uman; that his whole going in there and his choosing to pass away there and lie there — it was all on account of this, for the sake of tikkun haneshamot which need repair since several hundreds of years back. For, there in Uman, countless many souls were murdered, including many children, thousands and myriads, who were killed before their time. [His intentions] were evident from things he said in Uman, and some of them are written elsewhere (below, #190, 191, 205, 217).

Then in that same year he began telling the Sipurei Ma`asiyot which have now been printed and he said, "Now I will start telling story tales" (Ikh vil shoyn anheyben maysiyos dertseylen). And then on that Yom Kippur there was a fire, the Merciful One spare us, here in Breslev during the prayer time of Kol Nidrei when the chazzan began the piyutim that follow `Arvit which are Ya`aleh etc. And we each scattered to save his house and possessions and the prayer got mixed up; only after the fire was over did we assemble approximately a minyan and also Rabeinu z"l was with us and we completed the piyutim.

And then on motza'ei Yom Kippur Rabbeinu z"l said that on that Yom Kippur he wanted to elicit something from Hashem Yitbarakh, <namely he wanted Hashem Yitbarakh to again tell him the Torah as he told it before Moshe a"h>, and he had several arguments for this which if written would have filled several bogin (sheets), and I made a big arrangement of this for him. Alas, by means of the fire the thing was mixed up. And also after he returned from Lemberg he talked about this matter and it was understood from his words that from that time onward when he wanted to elicit this on Yom Kippur, on account of this he has great accusation against him on high and that the illness and afflictions which he had and which he still has are on account of this. And he said, "Even though my intentions were definitely for the sake of Heaven, nonetheless" etc.

And he told then the story of the son of the rav of Shpitivke who had an illness and he knew that it was on account of a mistake where he made a blemish in the honor of father, but yet he does not have regret. And he said that Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchak who is presently rav of Tcherin, informed him before the fire that it would happen. Also in Medvedevka there was a fire, and then too Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchak informed me beforehand. "Shmuel Yitzchak" is gematria SeReiFaH [585] as written in the Torah, chasser [without a yud].

And then in that same year I was expelled from my place by force, from Nemyrev to Mohyliv, and in that same year several of our people got mixed up; Rabbi Avrahamtchi was in Peterburg and many were mixed up. And Rabbeinu z"l himself was wandering and exiled that year on his big trip when he traveled to Navritch, Brod, etc. and tarried on that trip approximately half a year.

And that winter when he was in Tcherin for Shabbat Shirah and then in Krimenchuk as he went every year, then his grandson Rabbi Yisrael z"l was born, son of his daughter the tzadeket Mrs. Sarah, and his birth was before Rabeinu z"l went on that big trip, and right after he came from Krimenchuk he took that trip. Before his birth he remained several weeks in Kremenchuk and waited until she give birth, and during that whole time before she gave birth he never smiled and he got upset when they gave him two foods at a meal, for he was entirely uneasy until she give birth in peace, may she live long; so he remained in great affliction that whole time until that birth that his daughter gave.

And then after the birth he was immediately filled with joy and ordered to light candles and make the drink called "punch" and he was in great joy and then on the eighth day he circumcised his grandson boy in the proper fashion and after the berith milah he was in joy that day and said that he had satisfaction from hearing from people etc. who mentioned him, that his name, Yisrael ben Sarah, is like the name of the Baal Shem Tov z"l. But then on the third day of the berith his daughter who gave birth became weak and he had great affliction and fled in great haste from Krimenchuk. And he said that his vitality was cut off due to the severe pain. And the man who was with him, Rabbi Shmuel of Teplik tarried a bit, and he left him there without waiting for him and rode off without him, and Rabbi Shmuel was forced to hire a carriage and run after him.

And then when he came from Krimenchuk he went to Navritch and on that whole big trip etc. And that winter I was sick three times in Moyhliv and my wife-partner and children as well, and Rabbeinu z"l had great pain from this, and by God's mercy and the strength of his holy prayer I remained alive, praise God.

And in this whole matter there is a great deal to tell, for there are extremely hidden things in all this, gnizaya deMalka, which he merited to perceive in all these matters, for the sake of which he was forced to travel around and suffer afflictions so much. And it was all for the sake of tikkun ha`olamot/repair of the worlds, tikkun haneshamoth vehanefashot/repair of souls and lifeforces of the living and especially the souls of the dead, in which he was most involved at the end of his days, as he said explicitly there, that what he does for us is a minor thing for him and it is something that we should do, but he must involve himself in repair of the souls of the dead, for there are neshamoth artila'in/naked souls etc. as described elsewhere.

And even though we never heard or knew more than a drop in the ocean of all this and even the slightest bit that he informed us of in compassion, even this is impossible to describe except more than the slightest bit in hints; nevertheless I have not held back from recording what is possible, for it is a great benefit for those who seek in truth and haste to his doors, when they come to know what they know of what he endured and what came out of his holy mouth regarding these matters. And those who are smart enough to look into our words with an honest eye will understand a little of the greatness of the Creator, Blessed Is He, through this, and the greatness of the tzaddikim and how many sufferings and troubles they suffer for the sake of repair of our souls. Maybe we will be awoken by all this to go in his holy ways which he showed us in his holy books and we will truthfully return to Hashem, soon in our days, Amen.

152

In that year of [5]566 when he began to talk with me regarding tikkun haneshamot/repair of souls which he was involved in, which is the matter of the Ba`al haSadeh/Master of the Field etc., as mentioned above, then he said to me, "In Zlatipolia I got to know a bit of this," for then he began to know a little of this matter of the Ba`al haSadeh. And what is understood from his words is that that is when he began to know [i.e. in Zlatipolia], but now he knows the essence. And he said that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai hinted a little of this in the holy Zohar, and the inference was that the way he now knows about this matter of the Ba`al haSadeh, <no tzaddik had ever yet> known.

153

In the year [5]567 before Purim he traveled from here, Breslev, and no simple explanation was known to any man regarding that trip. And he traveled then to Navritch and wanted to travel further on but became held back there during the days of Purim in the house of the local rav who was somewhat of an in-law. And from there he resumed traveling to Ostroh and from there he sent people to bring his wife to the Dr. Gardin of there to get involved in healing her, for she had a critical illness, which is the illness of hust/tuberculosis, and he z"l remained there alone except that they hired one man there to attend to him. And his wife arrived there for Shabbat haGadol and did not want to receive treatments from Dr. Gardin, but only travel to Zalsav to the doctors of there, and he traveled with her on Sunday which was four days before Pesach and also Rabbi Shmuel of Teplik was with him there, and they all went and arrived in Zaslav close to Pesach. And Erev Shavu`ot his wife passed away there, and we gathered together to him and came to him for Shavu`ot, to Zaslav. And Hashem Yitbarakh had compassion on us and we were privileged then too to hear wonderful Torah from his mouth, and it is already printed in the book, [LM I] #67.

154

I heard in his name that he said that when he traveled to Navritch and the rest of the communities and spoke then regarding his travel, that no man knew about this. Explanation and clue: for he traveled under cover from the world and did not accept any money along the way, and he said at that time, "And I — my hands are dirtied with blood, placenta and umbilical cord in order to purify a woman [i.e Yisrael] to her husband [i.e Hashem]" [see Berakhot 4a], and this was a faint hint that this was the concern of his travel.

155

Before this aforementioned trip he said, "I am like a little boy who does not want to go to school but when he enters the schoolroom is able to learn. If they world would know why I am traveling they would kiss my footsteps at each and every step of mine. I tilt the whole world [to be] judged to the side of merit."

156

He said, "My place is only the Land of Israel. The fact that I travel, I travel only to Eretz Yisrael; and temporarily I guide people in Breslev and so forth."

157

Before he made the aforementioned trip he clapped palm on palm in joy and said, "Today I begin a new thing," and then he said, "We are like someone who plays music and the world dances, and whoever does not discern and hear the melody, it is a wonder in his eyes what they're running after and why they're dancing like that; it's a wonder to the world why you are running after me. When I return from my way I will be able to play and you will be able to dance. And then he traveled to Navritch and he was in Zaslav, Ostroh, Dubna, Brod and other additional places, and he was looked for and they did not know his whereabouts. And he was in the house of the big opposers in Brod and he had involvement with each and every one of them. When he entered Brod the whole city came out to him. (Explanation: for they did not at all intend to honor him, for they did not know about him at all, but rather, anyhow it was ordained that way from Hashem Yitbarakh). And I heard a voice of shouting of their cravings, that they crave and shout, "Money!" etc., which was a great shout from their cravings. At that same time, on Erev Shavu`ot, his wife-partner passed away and we gathered to him for the festival of Shavu`ot and he told us Torah, as mentioned.

158

On that festival of Shavu`ot he studied much during the morning meal, and between dishes before they placed the food on the table he would study in the meantime (and he learned then the Idra). And then they placed the food and he interrupted and ate a little and then went back and delved in his study; and thus it was each time between each and every food. And he thought each time they would not bring another food, but they gave several more dishes, and he would study between each and every food, as mentioned.

After the meal he spoke up and said, "They [were] arguing with me, for I was of the mind that each time they would not give another dish again, but they gave more foods each time. And they [were] arguing with me, because I would have wanted that the end of the meal would be with study, and they wanted greater — that the end of the meal would be with eating. For, there are simple people who eat in order to have strength to study, and there are people higher above and they study in order to have knowledge how to eat. And I wanted it to be in its simple manner, that the end of the meal would be in study after eating, which is the aspect of simple service, where they eat and then study, that is, they eat in order to have strength to learn. But they hold me to be on the greater [level] and give each time more food and want the end to be with eating which is the aspect of higher service, where they study and then eat, that is, they study in order to have knowledge and a brain and intellect how to eat. Understand.

159

While he was in Zaslav he had severe pain and illness, and he wrote a letter to all his followers, very much requesting that we pray for him, and then he returned to his strength. And then he wrote another letter to all his people, that his efforts that he made with each and every one of us to extract him from the teeth of the Samekh Mem ought not be in vain, as explained. A copy of the letter appears elsewhere [below, #166]. And when he came home he said that we had accomplished by our prayers that he returned to his strength in Zaslav from that sickness.

160

After the passing of his wife in Zaslav, later he was matched in Brod and when he came home to Breslev he told on Shabbat the tale [in Sipurei Ma`asiyot Tale 7] of the king whom the book's page saved, etc. And he said before telling that story, "I will tell you my trip," and regarding this he told that story. And there in that story the conclusion about a beautiful woman who bore children is missing.

161

As he returned from his big trip to Navritch that summer, tuberculosis befell him. Then Rabbeinu z"l urged us direly to pray for him very much. But due to our many sins, "gavru ha'erelim/the angels prevailed" [Ketubot 104a] and he passed away three years after contracting that case of tuberculosis. And he said that he lived these three years by miracle as well, etc., and regarding this there are numerous stories to tell, aside from countless things hidden from us.

162

He said that as soon as tuberculosis befell him, as soon as he coughed the first time, he immediately knew that he would die. And he immediately started talking about the matter of his passing away, even though Hashem Yitbarakh in his great charity did His exceptional miracles for us, that he lived afterwards for three years and a bit more. Nonetheless, in the summer of 5567 when the tuberculosis struck him while returning from his big trip that he took to Navritch, Zaslav, etc. as mentioned, etc. as soon as arriving at his home from that trip he started talking about his passing.

And he said, then, that he has great fears and he said that it was necessary for sixty giborim/mighty men to be by him, as were by the Ba`al Shem Tov of blessed memory. And he spoke a great deal regarding this [but I myself was not privileged to hear these matters from his holy mouth, for I was not with him, and much of this has been forgotten]. And one time he was crying on Shabbat and Rabbi Naftali was with him them, and at that time he told the story of the king who had great wars up against him, in the tale of "The Fly and the Spider." And then he made his usual annual trip in Ukraine — he always traveled to Tcherin for Shabbat Nachamu — and on the way, in the community of Ladyzhyn he spoke with our people, his followers, that are there, that he is forced to pass away, and he also spoke with them regarding the sixty giborim whom he needs, and how the Ba`al Shem Tov of blessed memory had sixty giborim: "And they will definitely grow up and there will be of my people sixty giborim, but they are still youths and tender in years and the war is exceedingly heavy and harsh on them, 'and I have no one to lean on' [cf. Sotah 49b]," etc. And he spoke more of this numerous times, and a little of it I heard: that even if he had sixty giborim it would not avail him to be healed from his illness.

And he said that he would have wanted to go to the land of Israel, that is, travel once more to the land of Israel and pass away there; however, he fears lest he will not be able to reach there. Also, if he should pass away there, followers would not come to his grave and they would have no involvement or activity with his gravesite. But when he will lie in our country, we will definitely come to his grave to learn and pray there, and he will have great delight and pleasure from this.

And from that time on, he spoke a great deal regarding his passing and spoke a great deal regarding his grave. And he expressed his mind numerous times, in numerous wordings, that they should constantly come to his grave, saying Tehillim at his grave, learning there, and to perform a great deal of prayer and supplication there. And he spoke with numerous followers regarding this. Also when he came from Lemberg he said that it would be well for him to pass away there and lie there, since numerous, numerous great tzadikim lie there; however, for the following reason he was not comfortable with passing away there &mdash: because there, not one of his followers would come to his grave.

And he said that when one will come to his grave and say a chapter of Tehillim with awakening of the heart, he will have great pleasure form this, and he made movements with his body and his bones then, and hinted that he would have chilutz `atzamot/renewed energy in his grave when they will say Tehillim at his graveside. And he talked more about this numerous times. And later he revealed the ten chapters of Tehillim [i.e. Tikkun haKlali], and he said that whoever comes to his grave, gives a token to charity and says these ten chapters of Tehillim, he will let himself span the width and the breadth [of the universe] to help this man, even if what has happened to him has happened, etc., and he designated two witnesses for this [R' Naftali and R' Aharon], as explained elsewhere [CM #225].

163

"I heard that he said to Rabbi Shmuel from Taitzpolik in Zaslav, 'I am telling you so that you know that I know what will be afterward. There are three things: two of them are one, and one is one. [Meaning that two of these things are one, and the one that remains is one.] And when the two things are, the one thing will not be, and when the one thing will be, the two will not be. And he said, "I want more," etc., and he forgot how he said that it was his will, whether he wants more for the two to be or the opposite. From the matter of the slaughterer of the Arinsk community at night, I dealt with a book of remedies. Even though remedies are nothing, the young wife is not found. From Mezeritch, it will be done and from there you will travel to Austria and from there you will travel to Breslev for my wife to bring her there so that she will deal with remedies. And so he did and said then that he was sure he would have the matter there that he had in Istanbul when he traveled to the Land of Israel. All this I heard from Rabbi Shmuel from Taitzpolik who described his journey to Noworodok, but the rabbi is missing, and there is much more to describe about this journey which was a wondrous, sublime, and very significant experience, and still no one knows what his intention was in this."

164

“During Succos 5568 (1807 CE), when he [Rav Nachman] began to develop the ‘Hust’ / coughing illness ^[10], before he travelled to Lemberg ^[11], it was then heard from his holy mouth on the first night of Succos that he asked, “The [Yiddish] word ‘hust’ (cough), what is it in the language of the gentiles?” At first, they did not understand his intention [with the question]. Afterwards, he spoke about this and said that in their language “Ushpiza” (a guest) is called ‘Hust’. (From then on he did not speak about this subject.) He then mentioned the statement of our Rabbis, zichronom livrocho, that they were accustomed to speak in the language of wisdom; as our Sages said (Eiruvin 53b), “Rabbi Abahu, when he would speak in the language of wisdom etc.”, and such like. It would appear that he was hinting with his holy conversation at the idea of the Ushpizin Iylo’in (elevated guests) who enter into the Succah. But we do not really know what he was referring to for sure. For this is already well‑known to us and it is a general rule, that in all the matters of the world and in all the languages of the non-Jews one can find His G‑dliness, may He be Blessed. This concept has been explained by him in his Seforim many times; for example, he brings the statement of our Sages [regarding Tefillin that are called טטפות / Totofos in the Torah]: “טט / Tot in Caspi means two, פת / Fot in Afriki means two”, etc. The greatness of Rabbeinu z”l’s attainment in this matter is impossible to fathom or to relate, even what we merited to see and to understand with our own comprehension. For we saw very clearly that for him the whole, entire world was open and revealed, and he would see in everything the hislabshus (“enclothement”) of Hashem’s chiyus (“vitality”), so that he was able to make wonderful and awesome Toros from all the things in the world. It is impossible to speak at length about this to someone who did not merit to see it with his own eyes. But if you merit to go on the straight and true way, and you merit to deepen your study in the Seforim of Rabbeinu z”l, then you will merit to understand a little bit of this matter.”

165

Copy of a letter in the handwriting of our teacher, may his memory be blessed, to his brother, our teacher Rabbi Yechiel, may his memory be blessed, in Krimintshak, where there was a dispute against him from wicked opponents. They greatly distressed him, as can be understood from the words of our teacher, may his memory be blessed, in this letter:

'With the help of God, Monday, Parashat Bechukotai.

To my beloved, my dear and cherished brother, the outstanding and eminent rabbi, our teacher Rabbi Yechiel Tzvi, his light will shine and appear: I received his letter here in Zaslav, and it greatly pained me how these wicked people’s hearts were filled, and how they dared so greatly against you. I am astonished how no good could stand against evil to eliminate it. My beloved brother, my soul and my heart, do not fear and do not be frightened of them; only strengthen yourself and be courageous in Torah and in the fear of God all day, as we have discussed between us. And the merit of your ancestors will assist you, for all this is to elevate you, to increase your honor, and to enhance your wisdom. Just as it is impossible for any kind of seed to reach its full growth without first being planted in the soil, and then the seed rots, and after its decay, it will blossom and flourish and become a great tree, so it is with this matter: through this humiliation until the dust, through this, you will grow and blossom and flourish in the world. If these wicked people knew this, they certainly would not have despised you, for all their intention is for evil.

And I inform you that I intend to stay here in the holy community of Zaslav for about three months, and afterward, I will know how to proceed. And I inform you that my wife initially had a change, but now she has reversed and is going and diminishing in strength every day. And the expenses here are numerous, for I had expenses here of forty-five rubles. And there is nothing else, only life. From me, your brother, who loves your soul, the one who seeks the peace of your Torah and eagerly awaits to hear good news from him and to see him in life and peace, Nachman, son of our teacher Rabbi Simcha, may his rock protect and sustain him: My wife extends her greetings in peace, and my daughter Miriam extends her greetings in peace to you all. And to extend peace to his supporters who are attached to him, strengthen and be courageous, for there is reward for your efforts in this and for what is to come, Nachman, as mentioned above.' [End of the copied letter in the handwriting of our teacher, may his memory be blessed.]

166

Copy of a letter in the handwriting of our teacher, blessed be his memory, which he wrote to all our people while he was residing in Zaslav in the year 5567 [1807]:

I inform all our people that I have grown weary of my stay in Breslev due to the great troubles and disturbances that have come upon me, and now I will be moving from tent to tent and will not settle down, but rather wander. Therefore, my request and plea from you is that my efforts should not be in vain. I have labored with each and every one of you, dedicating my soul for your benefit. The Holy One, blessed be He, and I have sinned, and my actions have brought upon me sufferings and the death of the righteous children, and disputes and accusations. Nevertheless, I also know that the work I engaged in with you to help you escape the clutches of the adversaries, regarding all this, his eyes were sharpened and his teeth gnashed against me. Therefore, my beloved brothers and friends, strengthen and be courageous in the fear of the Lord, each one according to his strength and ability, and let not my efforts be in vain, and preserve the Torah of Moses, the servant of the Lord, as I have taught you.

And know that even though I am now distant from you, this distance is only physical and does not signify any distance in our souls, for we are close to one another. My beloved brothers and friends, please, I ask that these words of mine, which I have pleaded, be close to you day and night. I also inform you that I am now staying in Zaslav and will remain here, if the Lord wills, for about three months. Is this not the truth? Your beloved, who writes with tears due to the great joy in my heart that the Holy One, blessed be He, has given me the strength of iron to bear the burden of sufferings and disturbances like these, Nachman, son of our teacher Rabbi Simcha, may his rock protect and sustain him. I inform you that blessed be the Lord, I am in good health without the need for physical remedies.

Nachman, as mentioned above, until here is a copy of the letter, and it is also necessary to search for another letter that he wrote to the general community of Zaslav, where he wrote to us to remember each and every one of us about how he found us upon his arrival in Breslev and how much good he did for each and every one of us, and how he rescued us from between the adversaries and so forth. And he wrote there, and if the Lord wills, when I return to my former state, I hope to the Lord that you will still be able to receive from me. And in the end, he concluded there by praying for him and his main request that he should merit to see the pleasantness of the Lord and visit His sanctuary, and so forth.

And that letter was written before the letter copied above, as at that time he was suffering from a great illness in Zaslav, and he wrote the letter above without copying it yet and asked very much for us to pray for him. Afterward, he returned to his former state and then wrote again the letter copied above. And upon returning to his home, he said that our prayers had acted, and he returned to his former state in Zaslav from the illness mentioned above. However, afterward, his wife passed away that same summer in Zaslav, and afterward, he married from Berdichiv, and later he suffered from a severe illness, and then he strongly warned us to pray a lot for him. But due to our many sins, the ailments increased and so forth, and he departed after three years from when he was afflicted with the severe illness, and he said that even these three years he lived in a miracle and so forth, and still, there are many stories to tell apart from the hidden ones from us without measure: his journey to Lemberg.

[#167-184] His Journey to Lemberg

167

In the year 5568 (1808), after Sukkot, I traveled quickly to Lemberg. I chased and rushed after him until I reached Krasne. Then he answered and said to me [“We will see each other, we will see each other, we will see each other”], and he repeated the matter several times. He said, “If you want to be a righteous person, what are you worried about? The entire world is working hard for you. This one is traveling to Breslev, and this one is coming here, and this one is going there—all for you.” Then, in the morning, he suddenly traveled from Krasne, and I chased after him until we managed to catch up with him at the bridge, etc. He was somewhat pleased and said about his journey concerning the matter of the Mishkan, that every one of the tzaddikim builds it, etc., as mentioned in Likutey Aḥar, Siman 282 in the Torah Azamra L'El Kay B'Odai.

168

When he was in Lemberg, there was a great danger because he was engaged in medical treatments and there was a long time when he had to lie on one side and could not lie on his other side. Later, the Blessed Name performed miraculous and awesome wonders for him, and he began to recover a bit. Suddenly, at night, he turned onto his other side and lay on it. He said that his healing was not through the doctor, but that at night, one came and said to him that the Kingdom had decreed that he should lie on his right side, and he lay on his right side as was his custom [which for a long time he could not do]. And that one who came to him at night was the renowned pious Rabbi Aaron, may his memory be blessed, from Titayev, the grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be blessed. Rabbi Aaron, may his memory be blessed, said that now the mentioned Rabbi is a faithful lover of him with great love.

169

In Lemberg, between Purim and Passover in the year 5568 (1808), he went into a special room and cried very much there and called out to Rabbi Shimon. His tears were on his life and he sighed and said, “There is no one to consult with.” And he then told Rabbi Shimon about a matter regarding a book in his house that was lost—his wife and children were lost because of this, for they were removed for this reason, and he had given his soul for this, and now he does not know what to do. The matter was that he saw that he must leave Lemberg, but if this book were to be burned, he could still live. Therefore, our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, was uncertain and did not know how to advise himself what to do because it was very hard for him to burn this holy and very awesome book for which he had given his soul, etc., and the very holiness and awe of this book cannot be spoken of at all. If this book had remained in the world, they would have seen the greatness of our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, eye to eye, etc. Rabbi Shimon replied to him, “Certainly, if there is some reasoning that your life depends on this, it is certainly better to burn the book so that you will remain alive.” Our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, replied, “In all respects, it would extend the time, certainly—that is, if this book is burned, it will certainly give you an extension of life in this world for some time, but even so, it is very hard for me to burn it because you do not know the greatness and preciousness of its holiness. And I have lost my first wife and my children and suffered many severe afflictions for this, etc.,” and he cried very much.

Then the doctor came to his house and Rabbi Shimon and our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, were engaged in the aforementioned conversation. Rabbi Shimon told the doctor in a confidential manner about our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, that he was crying at that time because his illness was very severe upon him, and the doctor was very alarmed before our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed. Later, the doctor spoke with him a bit and left, and then Rabbi Shimon and our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, spoke more, and he, may his memory be blessed, cried very much.

Afterwards, he said to Rabbi Shimon, “If so, here is the key to my Kamada [Aaron]. Go quickly, do not delay, and hire a wagon to Breslev. Do not let the rain and snow stop you. Go quickly to Breslev and come there and take two books: one placed in the Kamada and the second placed inside the box of my daughter Adele. Take them and burn them.” And there were two books; they were one because one was a copy of the other. [And the copying was done by me, as I merited to copy it with him. But immediately after I copied it, he took both of them, namely the book of his holy handwriting and the book that I had copied, and hid both of them with him. And these two books he commanded to be burned.] But for the sake of the Name, he was very careful about this and warned Rabbi Shimon very much not to be wise in this matter, meaning not to be clever and change his words, G-d forbid, without burning any matter and burying it with him; only to fulfill his words with great diligence. And immediately Rabbi Shimon went with great haste and hired a carriage to Breslov, to the house of our Rabbi, of blessed memory. And upon his arrival in Dashiv, which is near Breslov, Rabbi Shimon suddenly fell ill and was confined to a sickbed and could not rise. And he understood that this was the work of someone who wanted to prevent him from fulfilling his words [as we already know that for everything our Rabbi, of blessed memory, commanded to be done, there are thousands and myriads of great preventions, especially for such a great matter on which our Rabbi’s, of blessed memory, life depended]. And Rabbi Shimon commanded to place it on the carriage to go to Breslov, as he settled that he would be laid on the carriage and travel to Breslov while he still had his soul within him. And he was only waiting to arrive in Breslov so that he could command others to burn the books before him. And so it was that they placed him on the carriage and traveled there, and upon his arrival in Breslov he immediately recovered and was as he was at first and took the two books and burned them both. [Woe to us that we did not merit that this light of the book should remain, and because of our many sins it was decreed from the heavens to burn it.] And our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said that this book will no longer exist in the world; it is a pity for the loss due to our many sins, a loss that does not return. And he said that this book must be burned, and the book of the Likutey Moharan will be printed and disseminated in the world.

170

When I wrote before him, "This is the holy book that was burned according to his command, as mentioned above," he answered and said at the time when I wrote before him, "If you had known what you are writing," etc., I answered him with humility, "Certainly, I do not know at all." He replied, "You do not know what you do not know."

171

There was also another book with him, which was even higher and more exalted than the burned book, and it is the hidden book. He said that even its body was removed when it was written, and this book was not seen by any eye. He said that it is in the category of "secrets of secrets," meaning that it is hidden from the rest of the things he reveals. He said that the Messiah will explain its meaning, and this hidden book had already been completed with him at the beginning of the year תקס"ו (5666), which is five years before his departure. And now, stand and reflect on what level he reached afterward, for he never remained on a single level until the day he departed, and in every hour and moment he achieved new insights according to his awesome level. And understand very well that the greatness of the hidden book cannot be grasped by any thought at all, and the Messiah will explain its meaning. From now on, reflect and estimate its greatness in your mind, etc.

172

Regarding the aforementioned burned book, he said that no one knows anything about it except for a great tzaddik who is unique in his generation and also one who is wise in all seven wisdoms.

173

And also, I have already heard from the holy mouth that he said about the aforementioned book that only a tzaddik alone would not understand anything from it. Likewise, a wise person alone would not understand it either. However, if one is both a great tzaddik and wise in all seven wisdoms, still, on all accounts, there will be someone who will understand it. But the hidden book, which is in the category of "secrets of secrets," no eye in the world has seen it, and he said that no person in the world will understand anything from it. Only I heard in his name that he said the Messiah will explain its meaning, as mentioned above.

174

The second book that was burned had four parts. The aforementioned book was initially handed over to two men from our community and instructed them to travel through the towns and to announce in every city and town the existence of this book. They were also instructed to take any pamphlets from manuscripts of the teachings that were published in the book "Likuttei Moharav" and to leave copies of them in every city, as at that time no books from his holy writings had yet been published. Additionally, there were several stories concerning these two men, as mentioned in the summer of the year תקס"ו (5666).

175

The book that the two men took was my copy of what I had copied from the holy book mentioned above. The second book, which was burned, is referred to as "the second book" because all those books that were published are in the category of the first book, as all of them are in the category of the revealed aspects of it. Even though in the eyes of the world, it is higher than the "secrets of secrets," as every letter of the books that were published is filled with the "secrets of secrets" and "hidden secrets" endlessly, as understood by the wise. However, for him, blessed be his memory, it was all in the category of the revealed. And the book that was commanded to be burned when he was in Lemberg is the second book, and it pertains to his "hidden secrets." This second book I had copied before him in the year תקס"ו (5666), and my copy was given into the hands of the two men to take to the towns and to announce in every city the existence of this book as mentioned above, and he swore to them at that time that they would not reveal the matter to anyone. And he also had a third book, which is the hidden book that no human hand has touched, and no eye has seen it, and it pertains to his "secrets of secrets." This book was also completed in the year תקס"ו (5666) at its beginning, as he told me all this. And now, come and see and understand what he achieved afterward, as he had already achieved so many elevations and changes, never remaining on a single level throughout his life. And he said that if he had known that he was standing today on a level of yesterday, he would not have needed to exert himself at all, and each time he said that he did not know anything at all due to his desire to achieve more and more. And now, understand the extent of his achievements, for after that, five continuous years, he also experienced severe and intense suffering. Afterward, he was in all the travels and disturbances of his journeys, and in Nauvoo, and also in Brad and Lemberg, he was able to achieve much and make great strides. Whoever has a spark in his mind will be able to glimpse some insight from this, due to the greatness of our teacher, blessed be his memory, which had no equivalent in the world.

176

When the aforementioned book was handed over to the two men, I did not know anything about it at all, as the matter was done in great secrecy and no one knew about it. Afterward, I came before him at the beginning of the summer of the year תקס"ו (5666), and he said to me, "I have granted you a mitzvah in what I gave you to write this book." And he said, "Your book has already started to make an impact in the world."

177

And he warned me then to pray for the precious child of his, Shlomo Ephraim, blessed be his memory, who was suffering from the disease known as *hust* [tuberculosis] at that time. He warned me very strongly to increase my prayers for him and said, "I knew when I gave this book into the hands of the aforementioned men that they should themselves take strength and overcome the accusers of this child," meaning the accusers. And also, the man to whom I entrusted the book was one of the two aforementioned men. I strongly warned him at the time I gave him the book, for the sake of the name, to be cautious in praying and interceding for this child. And due to our many sins, the accusation was strengthened until the child departed in that summer.

178

In that summer, he sent me to Rabbi Yehoshua, blessed be his memory, to the holy congregation of Dzerin, close to his passing, with the request that he take, according to his knowledge, the names inscribed there to ensure that he would receive favor in the World to Come. And he said that through this, he could immediately come to him after his departure. And so it was that Rabbi Yehoshua, blessed be his memory, came to him immediately.

179

When he arrived from Lemberg, he said, "I feel like Choni the Circle-maker who sleeps for seventy years." And I was under the impression that I had already been forgotten. When I arrived in Wawernowitz, one of our people immediately approached me when he saw me, and he was very supportive of me.

180

The situation seemed like someone who has a great need in the world and so on, and they took him and placed him in a room to rest. They took me and placed me in a very high third or fourth floor. Wasn't it like a merchant who goes to the market with several tasks to perform, carrying loads back and forth? Even when they told me I needed to rest and recuperate, I could not grasp what rest and relaxation meant, as I felt I had to always keep working. Now I need to be careful about the times for eating and sleeping, and avoid the weakness that comes from illness.

181

I had a healthy body that did not demand or press itself at all. Now I need to be careful with meal times, etc., and the suffering that I had there cannot be explained; there is no need to say, "From suffering," because I also received treatments and drank quinine [a remedy for malaria]. There, in the land of China [China], they are completely infidels and say there is no justice and no judge, and so on, regarding other remedies from other places where there is infidelity. When all this entered my intestines, it caused what it caused. For it was necessary for the medicine that came from there to enter my intestines in order to subdue the aforementioned lions, and so on with other medicines [from this, the knowledgeable person can understand a little about his dealings with remedies besides other sublime secrets that were in all his ways and practices]. However, regarding the rest of the world, he was very cautious, giving good advice to stay away from remedies and doctors.

182

Once, after I came from Lemberg, he said, "Now I am like a child who is weaned from his mother

183

In the summer of 5568/1808 he returned home from Lemberg to Breslev on Sunday, Parashat Balak, and he stopped on the way in the holy community of Yanov. On his return from Lemberg he also also traveled through Brod and tarried there for some time, approximately two weeks. And the doctors said that it is very hard for him to travel because of severity of his illness, and that he cannot travel more than on parsah per day, but he paid no mind to this and traveled very diligently, several parsahs in one day, as the diligent traders do. And on the Sunday that he came home he set out early from the holy community of Yanov where was staying, and on Motza'ei Shabbat he did not sleep, as usual, and in the morning when the dawn lit up, he traveled from there diligently until he came home on the same day, while the day was still bright. And afterwards as well, at his home, he conducted himself in regard to eating, not according to the opinion of the doctors, for he saw that there is nothing substantive in them, as they admitted to him themselves, with their whole mouths. And he talked very long about this and urged us a great deal to not be involved with doctors and treatments at all, as explained elsewhere.

184

While in Lemberg, he entrusted the book Likutei Moharan to a certain man who came to him from among his followers and instructed this man to travel to our land to print the book, and so he did.

Initially, he investigated and settled many matters regarding this, as in earlier years we were careful to hide and conceal his Torah writings from the world. However, later he instructed me to copy them in order, since at first the writings were with me in scattered pamphlets, not in order. Later, in the year 5565 (1805), he instructed me to copy them in order and to make a volume out of them. He warned me to hasten in this. And blessed be the Name, He helped me, and I copied them beautifully in order. I then presented the pamphlets to him, and they were greatly approved in his eyes. Afterward, I gave them to the bookbinder here in Breslov to bind them properly, and this was on Friday, the eve of the holy Sabbath. I was forced to oversee the bookbinder to ensure that no foreign hands would dominate it.

Subsequently, our Rabbi, of blessed memory, sent one of his men to supervise the bookbinder to ensure that I would come before him to speak with him. Immediately, I came before him and he spoke to me at length and revived me greatly. On that day, I heard the beginning of the revelation of the matter of the Ten Chapters of Psalms, which are a remedy for nighttime occurrences, God forbid. Because of this business, I refrained from speaking on that Sabbath eve; I only spoke with him a lot initially while he was lying on his bed, and afterward he got up from his bed and sat at the table in his large house, and spoke with me a lot and with everyone until the end of the day. His custom was always to go to the nearby bathhouse after midnight, and now he sat and talked with us until close to the evening.

He then said how difficult it is to be a leader [called "Gitter Yehud"], for is not the matter that binding the book seems to you to be a small thing? How many worlds are dependent on it [his intention was that it appeared to him that he must bear the matter of this rectification which is achieved through binding the book as well]. And the binding of the book was completed in the following week on Thursday. During that whole week, he spoke to me a lot about joy and strengthened me greatly to always be joyful, and he said, "Is it not the sick person who is laid on the sickbed who is encouraged and told not to despair and not to be distressed, but to strengthen himself in all kinds of encouragement, and by this, the sick person can return to his strength through self-encouragement?"

And he spoke to me about this matter every day. And on Thursday, the binding of the book was completed, and I brought it to him bound. He answered and said, "You are still not joyful; there will be a time when you will know my greatness." Then he revealed to me about this book that it is the book I was privileged to copy, and afterward, he instructed to burn it. There is much to tell about this, and a small part is recorded elsewhere. And see also the relevant part in the book "Yemei Natan."

[#185-229] His Journey to and His Residence in Uman

185

In the year 1810, on the night of Shabbat, the first day of the month of Iyar, there was a great fire in Breslov and his house was also burned down. Afterward, on the third day following Shabbat, he traveled to Uman because earlier in the week, a man had been sent to secure a place for him in the house of R. Natan Nachman. And we saw the salvation of the Name, for the messenger sent in advance arrived on Sunday right after the fire, and he came to take him because they were eager to receive him there. I also traveled with him. On the way, we encountered Rabbi Meir from Tetalipik, who was the first messenger mentioned. Rabbi Meir disembarked from his carriage and stood by our carriage and spoke with our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed. Rabbi Meir told our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, how they were eager to receive him there and that the place was very nice. He responded and said, "Isn’t it all ours? For a person must say, 'The world was created for me,' because here are Nachman and Natan, and therefore, everything is ours." And he instructed not to speak of this and said, "Rabbi Meir is precise with names." And he said that as soon as he departed from Breslov, he accepted this idea into his heart deeply, but he did not want to speak of it except through Rabbi Meir, who revealed this to us, because this was in hidden aspects, as they are the secrets of his conduct. And he said in this language, "The Holy One, blessed be He, leads the world," etc. And then he said, in a manner of jest, that if they had said to one, "Rabbi Nachman gave," he would have spoken at length about the greatness of the Name, blessed be He.

186

When he left Breslov, he answered and said that it was also because of this that it was very fitting that I had traveled from them, for it was not appropriate for them to be in distress while I was in joy. For, in a situation where I had not been burned, I would have had to suffer with them, as Israel's distress would have been my distress too. But now that my own house was burned, I certainly need to accept with love and joy and it requires exactly great joy, that is, to strengthen oneself with great joy. And therefore, it is not fitting that I should be with them in distress while I am in joy. And understand this well. Then he said, “Certainly, the loss of money, that is, monetary loss, I accept with joy, because 'a life for a life and everything that a man gives for his soul.’ But even if I were to lose a soul, heaven forbid, the Holy Name, blessed be He, should protect him from such a day, I would still accept it with great joy until all matters of mourning that need to be observed, such as weeping and the like, I need to force myself to do, for he has great joy at that time. And everything is equal to him as if nothing had happened in the world. The Holy Name, blessed be He, should always protect him from now until eternity.”

187

Before he left Breslov for Uman to retire there, when he was leaving the house and hurrying to get onto the carriage, he stood by the mezuzah and placed his hand on the mezuzah, and said to the people, "Be sure to gather together and pray together, for if you pray with intent, perhaps you will be able to continue to bring me here another time."

188

As I was traveling with him to Uman at the end of his days, he spoke with me aboard the carriage, consoling words, many extremely beautiful and holy words which invigorate the soul a great deal. And I discerned from his holy words: the abundant compassion of Hashem Yitbarakh, and at the end of it all Hashem Yitbarakh will reveal the truth and make the end good for us, etc. Then I spoke up and said in his presence, with excitement of the heart, "Nevertheless Hashem Yitbarakh will finish according to His will!" He replied to me, with an expression of surprise, "What is this that you say Hashem Yitbarakh will finish? Isn't Hashem Yitbarakh constantly finishing?!"

189

On the road, during his move to Uman, he spoke up and said, "Nevertheless, Hashem Yitbarakh always helps Yisrael, and there is no orphaned generation." And similarly did Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai say, when a certain Tanna said, "The Torah will end up forgotten by Israel," and Rabbi Shimon said, "No! Because of this Zohar they will go out from exile, KiY lAo tishakhaCh mipI zar`O/ For it shall not be forgotten from the mouths of their offspring' (Deut. 31:21)." And therefore he stood himself on this verse and revealed the secret printed in Likutei [Moharan, Vol. I] in the beginning there, regarding the greatness of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai [and revealing that the end-letters of this verse spell YOChAI]. I answered and said to him, Rabbi Shimon certainly also has enjoyment from this, that is, from this wonderful revelation. He replied, "Yes." Then he spoke up and said, "Rabbi Shimon in his uniqueness is a different matter, because Rabbi Shimon (שמעון) is [alluded to in the acronym of] "עיר וקדיש מן שמיא נחית / `Ir Weqadish Min-Shamaya Nachith /A watcher and a holy one came down from heaven" [Daniel 4:10], as printed there, but now there is [myself, נחמן, alluded to in the acrostic of] "נחל נבע, מקור חכמה/Nachal Nove`a Mekor Chokhmah/ The gushing brook, the wellspring of wisdom [Prov. 18:4]!" <And even the `Ir Vekadish Min-Shamaya Nachit must receive from there. Understand well.> And it has already been heard that he said of himself, "I am a river that cleanses from all stains."^[12]

189

On the way, at the time of his journey to Uman, he responded and said, "Even so, the Holy Name, blessed be He, always helps Israel, and there is no generation orphaned." And as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said, when a certain Tanna said that in the future the Torah would be forgotten from Israel, Rabbi Shimon replied and said, "No, for in the Zohar, it is written that they will come out of exile. 'For it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed' (Deuteronomy 31:21)." And therefore, he focused on this verse and revealed the secret that is printed in Likutei A, at its beginning—see there regarding the greatness of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. I answered and told him, "Rabbi Shimon, there is indeed great pleasure from this, namely from this marvelous innovation." He replied, "Yes." Afterward, he answered and said, "Rabbi Shimon himself is a different matter, for Rabbi Shimon is a city and holy, descending from heaven, as printed there. And now, there is a flowing stream, a source of wisdom, and so on. It is already heard that he said about himself that he is a river purifying from all blemishes."

190

On the way of his journey before he entered Uman, close to the city, he recounted an incident regarding the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be for a blessing. Once, the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be for a blessing, came to a certain place, and there was great sorrow and distress there, and they recognized that he had a great sorrow. But who would open his mouth to ask him about this? And it was like this for a day and a half. Then, on Friday evening after midnight, the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be for a blessing, commanded that all the guests in the city be brought to him to eat with him on Shabbat. And there were not many guests there, only two travelers were found and they brought them to him. Afterward, they heard that the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be for a blessing, said, "Our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, does not remember well the incident as it was." But the gist of the matter was that in that place there were souls from several hundred years that had no ascent, and when the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be for a blessing, arrived there, they all gathered to him because they were always expecting someone who could rectify them. And because of this, he was distressed, as it was very heavy for him. And the matter was that it was impossible to rectify them except through his death, which was very hard for him. Therefore, he was in distress and invited these two people, and through this, the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be for a blessing, was saved. And it seems that to these two mentioned, the harm came through this.

191

On Tuesday, the 18th of Tishrei, the second day of the Chol HaMoed Sukkot, in the year 5611, the Ark of God was taken, and the light of Israel departed, the honor of our Master, our Teacher, and our Rabbi, the Supreme Light, the Holy and Precious Light, the hidden and concealed light, our Master Rabbi Nachman, may the righteous and holy memory be for a blessing, and he was buried the next day, on Wednesday, in Uman, in the place he chose for himself during his lifetime. As explained in this book, the stories of his words, which explain that he preferred to lie in Uman because of the great sanctity of the Name there, as is widely known. Also, the main reason for his passing was because of the holy souls that were killed there, as we understood from his words that he spoke in Uman, that there are thousands of souls there that he needed to elevate. Also, on the first day of Chol HaMoed, which was one day before his passing, he answered and said to me, "Do you remember the incident I told you about?" I asked him, "Which incident?" He replied, "The incident of the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be for a blessing, that I told you when I entered Uman." I responded that I did remember. He answered and said, "This has been a long time since they have been looking to catch me here." Again, he answered and said, "Not thousands of souls here, but tens of thousands, tens of thousands, tens of thousands." Also, on the night after, he also spoke about this matter and said that there were several judgments and several holy ones and so on that were here. And he said, "What do you have to worry about, since I am going before you? These are people from our people who died before, and they had concern, but you, after I am going before you, you have no need to feel any concern at all. And if the souls that did not recognize me at all are expecting my rectifications, how much more so you."

192

While he was staying in Uman, he would sit and converse with us, saying, "Do you remember when I began to speak from Uman?" I replied that I recalled when he called Rabbi Yudel and asked him about the matter of the Sofia [Garden in Uman]. Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, responded, "You too do not know and do not remember, because even previously I was speaking about this from afar. And now that I have entered into this study a lot, I have the ability to bring it into the discussion with some matter and relevance. And you too are not wise and you think that the matter pertains to the NNN. Truly, this is not one of thousands and tens of thousands regarding the matter that came for him. And he said that even in the past winter, when he spoke about wanting to travel to the land, his main intention was to remain here for some time. And he also spoke with us about this. Despite everything, it is heard that he had a great and terrible intention in coming to Uman and that it was a long time since he began to understand this matter and that he has a complete profound study in it. And also when he was in Breslev a long time before he traveled to Uman, he spoke about this, and even then he was holding this study from afar. How much more now, when he has already entered there, and it is impossible to describe it, even what shines in our understanding in this, because his thoughts are very profound in all that he did, especially regarding his journey to Uman to withdraw there deeply. Who can find him?"

193

(His Journey to and His Residence in Uman #6)

He said: Those great Reshoyim^[13], when they come in to the true Tzaddik, the humility that they humble themselves a little bit before him by going to him and honouring him – from this itself a great rectification is done in the place where it happens. For in accordance with the magnitude of their extremely great wickedness, when they humble themselves even a little before the true Tzaddik, from this a very great rectification occurs. Jews say several times a day: "כי גדול ה' מכל האלקים" / “For Hashem is greater that all the Gods”, but this does not produce such a great tumult. Yet when Yisro came along and said, "כי עתה ידעתי כי גדול ה'" / “For now I know that Hashem is great”, then the Name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, was honoured and elevated above and below. Specifically when such a far-off person as this comes from the depths of the impure forces^[14] and subjugates himself under the Kedusha^[15], through this His Name is elevated and made great. Understand this. I also heard in his name, that he said to someone: This you do not know, that when one of them^[16] lowers himself (i.e. when they enter and lower themselves to the Kedusha), then all the firmaments lower themselves too. – "אז איינר פון זייא טיט זיך אבייג, בייגן זיך די הימלין". / “When one of them makes himself lower, the heavens lower themselves”.

194

He said: "Whoever reveals new wisdom to the world, meaning some external wisdom beyond the external wisdoms of this world, ultimately has no good end and will face downfall due to that very wisdom itself, as we find with some wise men of the nations who introduced new things, like Columbus who discovered the land of America and ultimately died in chains due to this, for they handed him over to the king because of this, as explained in their books. Similarly, some wise men, such as the one who devised a way to escape from thunder, eventually died because of the thunder. Also, there were many such instances. Likewise, Socrates, the head of the ancient philosophers, was ultimately killed by poison because of his wisdom. And many, many philosophers who introduced new things also ended up facing downfall because of it.

Even concerning the holy Torah, I heard from the holy mouth that those who are eager to introduce new things, like some new law or new practice, are not aiming for the truth but only to introduce novelties. He said that it is a desire among the great ones to introduce novelties specifically, and he did not agree with this at all, as we do not need to introduce novelties but rather the main point is that their intention should be directed to the truth itself."

195

On the day of the sixth, Erev Shabbat Kodesh, Parashat Bechukotai, which was two weeks before he came here, he was still staying at the house of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. He was recounting and conversing with me about the subject of fearing God and whether I was crying at times, etc. He answered and said: "We are now at the very edge and end of Israel, in a place where the boundary of Israel is complete, for everything has an end and a limit. [Explanation: Even so, for us, Israel, the holy nation, there is also an end, meaning there is a place where the sanctity of Israel is completed, from which onward the sanctity of Israel does not extend, and this place was very far from the blessed Name, and therefore he said that we are now in a place where the sanctity of Israel is completed.]

Therefore, we need very great protection so that we do not fall, God forbid. Afterward, he said to me: "But even so, they will certainly not be able to move us, God forbid, from our sanctity, for we are strong in our understanding, and they will not be able to confuse our minds with their false doctrines. For certainly, they will not confuse our understanding at all. From the perspective of the soul, meaning from the perspective of the knowledge, certainly we are strong, and they will not harm us at all, God forbid, only in matters of externalities, such as in matters of foods, for this we need protection so that we do not fall, God forbid, and for this we need to ask the blessed Name to protect us from this. He answered and said: Certainly, everything that happens in the world, even what happens among the nations and all their practices and their garments, everything is as it is, for everything in the world certainly has a root.

Even someone who does not know what happens in the world, nevertheless, when he merits to do the will of the Creator, blessed be He, certainly he is very good, fortunate is he. And we need to ask the blessed Name that He should direct His will to do only what He desires, but when one merits that a light illuminates for him and he knows what he is doing, then it is even better for him that the heavens and all the wisdoms are opened to him. And the blessed Name will show him what he is doing in the aspect of 'the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God,' for the heavens are opened to him and all the wisdoms and intellects are opened to him and he merits to see the visions of God, meaning that God shows him what he is doing in the world. For by means of the wisdom itself, which is opened to him, the heavens are opened, as it is said: 'In wisdom You have made them all.' And then, when he merits to see what he is doing in the world, certainly the blessed Name will guard him from falling, God forbid.

This is the aspect of the letters of the initial letters of this verse, 'and the wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament,' that they are the initial letters of 'Yud-Heh-Vav-Kaf,' which is the aspect of the holy Name, which is suitable for protection. For by the aspect of 'and the wise shall shine,' by means of this he is protected from falling, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of the Name mentioned above, which is a protection for those who walk in the path, from the thief and the murderer, as mentioned in the prayer of the path. And it is derived from the verse: 'For He will command His angels concerning you,' that the final letters of 'Yud-Heh-Vav-Kaf' as mentioned there."

196

Before this, he was speaking about the subject of fear of Heaven and crying to cry before the Blessed Name, like a child crying before his father, because we are so far from our Father in Heaven. He responded and said that when I do repentance, it is a greater good than your repentance issues, because I do repentance simply, with great regret and great shame, and I accept upon myself not to sin anymore in any way. And he said that he did repentance for this speech that came out of his mouth concerning the wagon when he traveled with me, about Rabbi Nachman, as mentioned above, and said that this is the act of a person in order that it should be harder and more burdensome afterward. And I asked him if he did not say that Rabbi Meir said this because he had offended us. He answered and said that even so, they did not need to say it then. And he said that they needed to wait and not say it then, and if he would have waited, he would not have said it at all.

197

Monday 24 Iyar in Uman. He talked with me and said that at these times he greatly desires to leave and cast off from himself this world, meaning he wants to chose a place to live alone just himself and not have the yoke of the world [or fig. people, ha`olam] on him. And he said it's because he thinks if he never begins the conduct of a mefursam (celebrity), perhaps he'd achieve what he'd achieve. And I said didn't Moshe Rabbeinu obm also involve himself in this, in the world's conduct, drawing people to Hashem? He answered, Didn't Moshe Rabbeinu obm also err in this, for Moshe too was punished for taking in the `Erev Rav. And he said the main service in any thing is that they leave a man to his free will, namely the thing is left to his mind when there is no mitzvah in it. That is, he is not commanded any mitzvah in that thing, and they don't at all tell him to do thus; the thing is only left to his mind to do as he himself chooses. And this is the aspect of [Shab. 87a], "Hossif yom echad mida`atho/ He added one day [to the date of receiving the Torah] from his own mind," that is said of Moshe. Which, this aspect is found in each and every devotion, for in each devotion of serving Hashem there is a thing they lay and leave to a man without mitzvah or warning, and do not command him to do thus. The thing depends only on his mind and choice, like Moshe Rabbeinu obm who added one day from his opinion without being commanded [and see LM 190 on this]. And in this aspect is the essence of service and choice, for it always remains doubtful what is H"Y's desire, since He did not order him how to do it.

And he said in compare to H"Y's desire he has no difficulty or effort in any devotion or matter in the world, and even all the sufferings in the world, God save us, in accord with what he knows of those afflictions, that he doesn't [even] want to utter them in speech, the Merciful One save us, and nevertheless all the afflictions and all things in the world he would easily accept if he knew this were the Blessed Creator's will for sure. For in knowing the Blessed Creator's desire, he is content with anything, and there is nothing and no affliction difficult for him at all whatsoever. But his main toil and affliction is in the aspect mentioned, in the aspect of "Moshe added a day from his mind," namely the thing that remains to his mind to choose to do as he pleases when there is no mitzvah as mentioned. Herein is the main toil and difficulty, for he does not know what to do, and sometimes he is willing to have several afflictions, and then he does not know if this is the Blessed Creators' will. Also [Moshe's] breaking the Tablets is also in this aspect, for this too he did from his mind, and so forth.

And he spoke more about these matters. And what was inferred from his words was he has great afflictions and they're pursuing him a great great deal, and he does not know how to give counsel to his soul, how to behave, whether to cast off entirely the conduct of the world, since he sees there is not much use in it as he would want. And he said didn't we already talk about this, that the fact that they need to spend time and effort to help a physical tzadik in serving Hashem, that is, while he his still clothed in a body in this world, when they want to help him and raise and elevate him from his level, it's harder than helping and raising a million wicked people spiritually, that is, to repair their souls. For, a person with choice, it is extremely hard to have an effect on him, to detach him from his free will and turn him to the way of truth, for even the most evil person since he is already gone to his world he can do whatever with him, and whatever he commands him he'll do, even if he's extremely wicked. On the other hand even a great tzadik who is still in his body and has choice, it is very hard to affect him and turn him to the truth from some way or matter that he needs to return him from.

[So the rule according to what was heard from his words is, he wants to involve himself in repairing souls that fell in past times in thousands and myriads as explained elsewhere, and this is his main work, therefore he has the thought to cast off entirely the conduct of the world. But still he is not sure, for definitely if he helps a person who has free choice and brings him close to Hashem, it is definitely an extremely great thing, unfathomable.]

Then he spoke with me about his burial place, and said that Uman is very good for him. If he has to dwell somewhere, here is best for him. And he said also with regard to his passing away, when his days and years are filled — may that be in many days and years! — here is still good. For in Uman, Hashem's sanctity was extremely great, for many of Yisrael were murdered, thousands and myriads, from which His Name is sanctified, as is known. Also many died actually sanctifying the Name, for the idolaters wanted them to change their religion and they died sanctifying the Name. And also the Yisraelite souls that were plain murdered is also sanctity of the Name as is known. Also the many torturous deaths that happened then, and the many weaned and nursing children that were murdered in thousands and ten-thousands, which is all sanctity of the Name. And they [that is, these evil big figures] that are found here in great number, they are from the susfitha [dross], hence they are such apostates, but nevertheless even among them there is definitely etc., that is, even in the susfitha there are also holy sparks that are still not purified, as is known.

And then he told me the dream regarding the wedding as explained elsewhere [#93]. And I said to him then, "But if you help someone who has free will aren't there many advantages etc. accomplished by this?" He replied: For sure; goes without saying. And he made his extraordinary gestures [that it is definitely so, that this action is certainly extremely precious, infinitely, when one merits to affect someone who has free will to detach from his place.] However then he said, "You forget the time gets wasted." And his holy meaning was: Certainly if they affect someone who has choice it is definitely infinitely precious, but one needs to spend a great deal of time for this being involved with him, and the thing hangs in doubt if they will affect him, for a being with choice is very hard to help etc.. And with this time they could raise thousands and ten-thousands of dead souls, and as mentioned, that is it is easier to help a thousand etc. Therefore he is very doubtful of this. So his main decision lay in this, in which he could not counsel his soul, which this is the aspect of "Moshe added a day of his mind," and as mentioned.

And it seems to me he talked then about that he considered wandering away from us, God forbid, but it made him sad since he yearned so much for the Rosh Hashanah. For the whole of this summer that he was in Uman, he longed and yearned a great deal to be present there with his gathering on Rosh Hashanah. And Blessed is the Compassionate on the Lowly, that his goodness rolled over his traits, and in his love and pity he had mercy on us and all Yisrael and did not distance from us but stayed with us on Rosh Hashanah and all the days of summer. And we also heard wondrous and awesome Torah on this Rosh Hashanah which was the last R"H. And also he passed away in our country in Uman, and his holy remains are left with us for ever and ever, ever eternally. "What can we repay to H', for all his goodness to us?"

Close to that time I heard this from one of our people from Ladyzhin, that he heard from his holy mouth when he spoke with the Ladyzhin people about his sickness when it began, that he will have to pass away from this, and he spoke regarding his burial, as a little of this is explained above. Then he said in these words, "I want to stay amidst you, and you will come to my grave" etc. [And this conversation is so dear in my eyes, what I heard in his name in these explicit words saying, "I want to stay among you."] For all the worlds are dependent on this, his remaining amid us.

198

He gave a parable about people who are known to enter his presence, claiming to be wise in their own eyes. They recounted to him many foolish deeds found in their books. He said that soon everything will be clear to them, as it is easy and quick, and they will have nothing more to tell. He also gave an apt parable: what is told by one who was attacked by a robber and was about to be robbed, and the robber asked him if he had money. He replied that he certainly had money and would give it all for his life, and the robber then robbed him. Afterwards, the victim said to the robber, "How will I return to my home without money? I have been wandering so far from my home for so long, and now how can I come back empty-handed? Therefore, I ask you to return to me the money you stole from me so that it will be known that you, the robber, have wronged me." And so the robber did. Afterwards, the victim asked him to shoot in other places. In the end, the robber replied that he had no more ammunition. When he answered that he had no more ammunition, the victim said, "Now that you have no more ammunition, come here," and he caught him by the neck and called his companions and overpowered and defeated the robber. The parable is clear to those who stood in that situation as he recounted it.

199

On the first day of the month of Sivan in Uman, he responded and said to me at the time when you left with me to travel [i.e., at the beginning of this summer when I traveled with him here], you told me something. Afterwards, Rabbi Naphtali told me the same thing, and then Rabbi Yudel told me the same thing, and you only hinted to me. I was very amazed, but they explained it to me explicitly, just as the world speaks. It was heard from their mouths in this way. He answered and said that now it seems that I asked him whether the matter was related to the future events according to the meaning of his words. He replied, "Yes." Afterwards, when this matter comes, they will be able to point out the faults of the philosophers [and the matter remains obscure and no one among us knows how this matter will turn out until we merit to see if he wills it].

200

Concerning the things he sometimes does that seem very astonishing to people and the world deceives itself with the issues he deals with. Each one deceives himself and thinks that he did this for such a reason, and this one deceives himself with another mistake. For example, concerning his trip to Uman, each one fell into a mistake and error regarding what his intention was in this [and truly his intention was very high matters, as mentioned above, and certainly he did not mean for any benefit to himself at all, but only for the sake of the Blessed Name]. He answered and said, "It is very good when they put the fool into the world because everyone deceives one another, and each one himself, that is, he is mistaken and deceives himself, and whoever is careful not to deceive himself, he will deceive the whole world. That is, everyone is mistaken about what his intention was, and there is no need to deceive them at all, for they themselves deceive themselves, as each one falls into another mistake in his issues as mentioned above. The explanation of the matter is that every person deceives himself, for there is no one whose intention in all his matters is for the sake of Heaven in perfection without any ulterior motives, but rather each one deceives himself. And whoever does all his matters only for the sake of Heaven without any ulterior motives and does not deceive himself at all, then all his matters are very astonishing in the eyes of people. And everyone deceives himself about it, for it is impossible to fully understand his high intention. It turns out that he has transmitted his deception into the world because he did not want to deceive himself, and therefore the world deceives itself about him. Understand that it is impossible to explain in writing. Once again, he mocked this matter about how the world deceives itself about it and gives false interpretations about his behaviors and ways, and everyone says according to what seems to him. He answered and said in a humorous way that it seems that according to their logic, it is very easy to know immediately what my intention is in this [i.e., according to their words, if so, then everyone can easily understand what my intention is in this matter]."

201

Regarding the matter of garments of honor, it is necessary for a respectable person to dress appropriately if possible, and not to be shabby. For even a tzaddik does not draw people close to him except through his garments, which show that he is dressed in honor. Through this, he is considered worthy of being approached. If he was not dressed in honor, he was not considered at all in their eyes. It was answered and said: Was not also the Blessed Name Himself dressing in Egypt? For all the deeds of Egypt were entirely in the form of garments, and it was necessary that the Blessed Name, as it were, clothe Himself in these deeds of Egypt until afterwards He began to be recognized by Himself, as it were, and every time He was recognized more and more, and His greatness was recognized more and more every time. However, initially, it was not possible for them to come close to Him except through the aspect of garments, meaning through all the deeds of Egypt, which were in the aspect of garments, as mentioned above.

202

In the week of 1810, He was in Uman at the beginning of his entry there and did not say Torah on that day. Afterwards, He said to us in jest, "You are not so much sinners that I would say Torah to you." And He concluded afterwards about Himself that there are some Torahs made through sinners, such as the section of the golden calf and the like, where the Torah in those sections was made through sinners. And so our Sages, blessed be their memory, said: Had the Israelites not sinned, they would only have had the Torah and the Book of Joshua. For the remaining prophets and writings were only made because the Israelites sinned and needed to be rebuked, as Rashi explained there. It turns out that through the sins of Israel, complete Torahs were made, meaning all the books of Prophets and Writings.

203

On the 10th of Iyar, it was reported here at the house of Rabbi Nachman that he asked his opinion from Rabbi Nachman to do for him to fix it.

204

On the night of Shabbat, Parashat Chukat and Balak, 12th of Tammuz, 1810, he spoke at the table about his matters and wondered about himself why he always does unusual and wondrous things that are beyond the understanding of human beings. Why is it that he always moves from place to place, and what was lacking for him in his meetings, and why was it proper for him to stay there always, as there he would sit in tranquility and peace. He did not want to sit in tranquility and traveled from there and established his residence in Zlatopolye, where he had a great share and very great hardships, and he traveled from there and established his residence in Breslov. Afterwards, that summer, he traveled from Breslov and established his residence in Uman. And in any case, after he arrived in Uman, it was appropriate for him to choose his residence with a worthy person, and he chose an inn there and so forth. And he wondered about himself why he does such unusual and wondrous things and so forth. I answered and said to him, "Is it not for the same reason that Moses married the daughter of Jethro?" [And my intention was simple: For so is the custom of the Blessed Name to connect two opposites, as our Rabbi of blessed memory needed to connect and marry Jethro's daughter, and so forth. Similarly, he was compelled to connect with such people, and so forth. Understand.] Afterwards, he answered and said to the world that they should sit at the table and listen to what he said. Did you hear how difficult it was? Did he not pose a great difficulty? He answered and said, "You are not worthy at all to testify." And we did not understand what was meant by the testimony. And he said that it should be remembered that he will give an answer to this, but at present it was necessary to take you as witnesses, and so forth. And he said, "Without this, it is impossible to write now, but perhaps you will remember this." Also, on Shabbat morning, he spoke again about this matter of the great difficulty and repeated and said that he posed a very great difficulty. And he said, "Did you know the answer? And I said that for me it is not difficult at all regarding our teacher, may peace be upon him, who said that if so, you answer a question with another question. And he said that I intended the matter of his thought. For he has been seeking and praying for a long time to know the answer to this matter, and now this question is difficult for him. [Thus he said publicly] and you do not know the matter at all, only in the matter of this thought I have been going on for a long time and I have already prayed much about it, not only the prayers that everyone prays, namely Shacharit, Mincha, and Arvit, but also many other prayers I have prayed about it, because I wanted that they should make me know this matter from Heaven, that is, that I would hear a voice and speech from Heaven to answer me about this matter. But through human beings, he does not want them to respond to him. Afterward, he gave up and eased his request and asked in every way that they should inform him through a messenger. Afterwards, he requested that in every way they should inform him through animals and birds, but through human beings, he did not want, and still they did not inform him. And he said to us, 'You are very small in stature and I have no one to speak to. Yet, even though he cannot see, his fortune can see.' Afterward, he said, 'I accept witnesses' etc. [and did not finish]. And it seems that his intention was with our souls, and similarly he spoke of these things again and again at the table on Friday night and on Shabbat day, and he elaborated greatly on the matter of the aforementioned question, and the words are obscure and sealed."

205

I heard from one of our esteemed men when he traveled with him from Umein to Tirah and Vitsya in the summer of 1810, he spoke with him about the matter itself and said, 'I am amazed that it is as if we have no portion in this world at all. Yet, wherever we go, we have a place, and everything belongs to us.' And he asked him if not to the world they have a portion among you. He answered him and spoke with him about several matters, and among his words, he answered and said that the prominent leaders of the present day, those small in stature, do not comprehend and know at all what I am doing in Umein. If they had known the greatness, honor, and splendor of the innovations and the combinations and the amusements that are done at all times, every hour, and every moment, and the prayers that ascend every time, then they would have understood the great and wondrous matters that are done every time. And he prolonged and elaborated in the purity of his language about these terrible matters. And the content of his words, which is among his sacred words, is that wherever there is a gathering of Israel that is called the stones of the sanctuary in the sense of, 'Let the stones of the sanctuary be poured out' etc. And here, two stones build two houses; three stones build six houses; four build twenty; and four stones build forty, as it is explained in the Book of Formation, and the houses are in the sense of, 'My house is a house of prayer,' found every time that an additional stone is added, that is, one soul from Israel becomes another combination entirely, and the combination is renewed entirely, and new houses are made entirely. For before, when there were only two stones, the combinations and the houses were in the sense of the houses made by two stones. But now, when an additional stone is added, then other new houses are made entirely. And so new and renewed precious and wondrous houses are added every time a stone is added, and every time an additional stone is added, the houses increase more as explained in the Book of Formation, until six letters build several hundreds of houses and more than that, until the mouth cannot speak and the heart cannot think. And according to this, see and understand and observe the greatness of the amusements and the combinations and the innovations and the precious and wondrous and terrible prayers that are made at all times and every hour by the souls of Israel [by the great and true tzaddik who is engaged in gathering the souls of Israel to bring them close to holiness]. And know that there are stones in the sense of souls that are scattered in the streets in the sense of, 'Let the stones of the sanctuary be poured out at the head of every street,' but when stones are added and new houses are made as mentioned above, then they bring into these houses the stones of the sanctuary that were scattered at the head of every street, for they enter and are gathered within these new houses that were made as mentioned above, and understand. [And see in the Torah, 'Sound rebuke' in Likutei T'niyanah, Siman 8, concerning the matter of the houses. See there.] He answered and said, 'This is a long time that I have a portion in the prayers of Israel, for it is not fitting for them to look at themselves, who is the one who prays and with whom they pray, for all the actions of one who does any action in the world in prayer, and even the sinners of Israel, all are by my hand [and he said that this matter is one of the hidden secrets of his].' Indeed, our Rabbi, of blessed memory, did not explain the connection of this matter to Umein specifically. But according to what is explained above, a little of what he hinted to us about his presence in Umein, for there is there the sanctity of the name from many souls that were killed there, according to this, one can understand a little of the matter mentioned above, for the killing of Israel, heaven forbid, is in itself in the sense of, 'Let the stones of the sanctuary be poured out' etc. But still the matters are very obscure and sealed and no one among us knows how great is the merit of the one who succeeds in achieving the greatness of our Rabbi of blessed memory in the end of days, and the secret of his conduct which he did in this world, wondrous and hidden matters from human beings and concealed from human knowledge, and all for the sake of His great and holy name, blessed be He. And he said then, 'Fortunate are you that you have a Rabbi like this; I envy you.' Now it is already very difficult for him to get close again.

206

Regarding the matter of the advocate (i.e., those who use language and eloquence), it is said that when a person passes away, they immediately become an advocate, as written: "If there is an angel speaking in his favor." Indeed, an advocate is also in the aspect of language and eloquence. This is because even an advocate who wishes to speak favorably and teach merit for someone must present his advocacy in the form of eloquence. For if one wishes to teach merit and says these things in another language or style, his words will not be effective in finding merit unless they are expressed in the manner of eloquence, in a way that his words are accepted. And this is why it is called teaching merit as an advocate, because he must speak in the manner of eloquence. Even if there is a certain angel, as mentioned by our sages, that the words and eloquence have a great power to act and awaken, if someone is told simply that someone has passed away, he might not cry as much, but if he is told with words of awakening and in the manner of eloquence, this has the power to awaken him to cry, as is felt with sensitivity because the speech has great power. However, there are negligent advocates in the aspect of: "And your advocates have sinned against me" [as it is now the custom according to the Rabbi that many advocates are great heretics].

207

It was said in the house of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov that someone once sat in his presence and said, "I have never sat in your presence, and now I am a worthy resident that my affliction should be removed." And then he quoted this verse: "And let not the resident say, ‘I am sick’" with the words of purity that are called "Vortil"—meaning that since he is a worthy resident, he should not be sick. And the listeners were amazed and greatly impressed. For when the holy speech came out, it came with all kinds of grace, truth, and holiness. Afterwards, we merited to hear a wondrous Torah on Rosh Hashanah regarding this, and it is connected to the conversation of the houses mentioned. See Likutei Moharan, Part 2, Siman 8, Note 7. And if you have understanding, you will see how far his holy conversations and speeches reached, especially his words of purity.

208

It was said: At first, the world was void, and afterwards, He created the world. We need to clarify this matter—what is meant by this. [The copyist said: I heard from Rabbi Naphtali, may his memory be blessed, that once he asked before our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, why the world was initially void, and then the world was created in completeness. It was necessary for Him, blessed be He, to create the world in its fullness and perfection immediately. And the second question was not a question at all, after the righteous, etc., do not come close to me, I must bring close the wicked and those of lesser standing, maybe I will make of them truly righteous people. And indeed, they admitted themselves and were not ashamed—these lesser ones that had they not passed away, our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, would have entered the Uman, they would surely return in complete repentance. Additionally, I heard then from Rabbi Naphtali that once he asked our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, himself, what connection and closeness these lesser ones have to him, after all, they are very distant from his holiness without measure, and he answered him, "What connection and closeness do you have? Do you not have just like dust on the garment, which when you blow upon it, it immediately flies away and is removed."]

209

These are worldly and irreligious people, which come in to see me. They are already full of regret and yet they do not know at all what regret is, as printed in Sichot Haran.

210

In Uman, he spoke to me regarding his journey and said to me then: There is a path from the house to the outside, and from there to the mountain, and from there to circle around the small mountain, and the bridge, and from there to the house of Rabbi Shimon and from there to the house of Rabbi Zelig and from there to Uman. For in this way he went to Uman, as during the burning at the time of the holy Shabbat, he suddenly fled when a noise was made by the fire. He was sitting then at his meal on the holy Shabbat and said then that he did not know at all and so on. And within his statement, a noise was made by the fire, and he said in this language 'equal, equal, already, already' and immediately fled from his house to the outside. And he ran near the synagogue and there they brought him some clothing with skins so that he would not get cold, G-d forbid, due to his great weakness at the time. And afterward, he crossed the small river on foot through the water and climbed up the high mountain and sat there and saw from there all the fire until his house was burned. And the Torah books that were removed from the synagogue and the study house were placed near him. And also, some souls of Israel who fled also went there. And we saved all that was within his house; no property of his remained in his house because we saved everything with the help of the Blessed Name. And afterward, close to the light of the holy Shabbat day, I came to him and he was sitting there happily, looking at the city and his house which had burned. And afterward, I took him to a house at the edge of the city that was saved from the fire. And he went with me near the small river across the field and said: Who would have said and would have thought that we would go on the holy Shabbat night near the light of the day through this path across the field? And afterward, we came to the house of Rabbi Shimon and he stayed there all the holy Shabbat. And on the first day, he left from there and went to the house of Rabbi Zelig, which was also on the other end of the city. And there he stayed all the first day until news came from Uman that he should travel there at a time when he was wandering and all his wealth and property and belongings were all scattered within the house. And when the news came to him that he should travel to Uman, I stood before him and he was greatly alarmed and his face was very inflamed. Afterward, on the third day, he traveled to Uman. And afterward, the mentioned one said above that there is such a path from the house to the outside and so on and from there to Uman as mentioned. That is, on the hand that was with the king, it is detailed in the story of the one who prays there; all the paths of the world are described there. Therefore, he said that there is also such a path. That is, certainly, this path was also detailed there on that hand, that is, from the house to the outside and from there to the mountain and from there to the aforementioned houses and from there to Uman. Happy is he who merits to understand this for the future because in the matter of his journey, there are terrifying secrets in every step and every step. For in all his holy journeys there are lofty hidden secrets, even more so in this last journey that he made to flee there, which cannot be grasped by any thought, amazing and mighty secrets and many hidden ones that were in every step and every step and in every matter and reason related to his departure."

211

At the beginning of his entrance to Uman, a certain man who was somewhat close to our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, came to him and said that the people of the study house there were apologizing for not all of them coming to receive him and mentioned some excuses for this. He replied and said, "I am not seeking new pious people. If there are old, sincere people of our peace, that would be very good. If not, it is enough for the world that I am alone."

212

After a few weeks in Uman, when he entered the house of Rabbi Yosef Shmuel, he began to study Torah and did not finish. At that time, I heard him mention that among the prominent liars in the world who have names and fame, there are also true righteous people whose names are hidden, meaning that they do not have a name and fame as appropriate for them. This is in the sense of: "This is my name forever," and I did not hear this from the holy mouth at all.

213

At the time he was in Uman, he said to Rabbi Naftali, "Who knows what we have done here in Uman that we are now forced to be so involved? For it seems that we cannot leave here because we are trapped here, and they do not want to let us leave."

214

At the time he was suffering from tuberculosis, he once said to the well-known righteous man, the Maggid of Mezeritch, "If people knew how much they need me, they would all fall on their faces and beg and plead with the Holy One, blessed be He, for me to return to health, for the whole world needs me very much, to the extent that it is impossible for them to be without me."

215

On the night of Shabbat Nachamu, 1810, in Uman, after Kiddush, he said: "The Torah, in terms of its simplicity, is that sometimes a simple person which is called a 'Prostnik' can invigorate himself." At times, the simplicity is not in the way he traveled to the land of Israel. And he explained the matter as mentioned in our book in section 78 of Likutei Tenyana. See there. And he said that he does not know anything at all and swore on Shabbat Kodesh, and he said in these words: 'I swear on Shabbat Kodesh,' meaning concerning the matter that he does not know at all now. And afterward, he said that he is now afraid that they call him a 'Pious one' and was happy, saying: 'Blessed are we that the Holy One, blessed be He, has been very good to us that we merit the holiness of Israel.' And he said that he has great joy in having merited to be in the land of Israel because how many obstacles, confusions, thoughts, delays, and quarrels he had regarding the journey to the land of Israel. And the obstacles were due to money matters, and he overcame them all and completed the task fully, that he was in the land of Israel. And he said: 'This I believe, and I also know a lot about this matter, that all movements, thoughts, and various acts performed for any purpose in holiness, no movement or thought is lost at all; everything is recorded above for good. Blessed is one who merits to jump and skip all obstacles and merits to complete and do a good deed.' And he was then in great joy and rebuked Rabbi Naftali for being somewhat embarrassed to play, and he said: 'What is there to be embarrassed about? The whole world was created only for us. [Naftali and Vas have an understanding with this] The world was created for us, and he was then very joyful.

216

Regarding the wisdom of song and the allegory called in their language 'Faziah,' he said: "Whoever cannot 'Faziah' [i.e., despise the pleasures of the physical world as appropriate] cannot 'Faziah.' For a shepherd of prostitutes loses his wealth, and do not read 'from your wealth' but 'from your throat.' This means that a shepherd of prostitutes loses his voice and song. Therefore, whoever cannot 'Faziah,' that it should be repulsive to him, will be repulsed and cannot 'Faziah,' and understand."

217

When he arrived in Uman, he initially stayed at the house of R. Naftali Nachman and stayed there from the 15th of Iyar until Isru Chag of Shavuot, and I was with him all those days. He was requesting to find a place for him to live with his family, and we were searching for him throughout the city for a place that would be suitable for him, but we did not find a place according to his desire. And suddenly, a certain man came and said that he would give him his house for free, which was a nice and good house for him because there were several rooms there. And there was also a garden in front of the windows, which was all good for the matter of the severe cough he had, as he needed a large house with much air. However, he was not satisfied with the matter then that he would enter that house and entered the house of Rabbi Yosef Shmuel, which they rented for him, and he entered there on Isru Chag of Shavuot and stayed there for a few weeks. And our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, said that this would also be a miracle in the coming days, as suddenly a person came and wanted to give him his house for free, though he had no prior acquaintance with him. And in the house of Rabbi Yosef Shmuel, he stayed there with some of his household, but the house was not good for him at all because there was no good and ample air as he needed. And he left there at the beginning of Menachem Av and entered the house of the man who had asked for him, as mentioned. And immediately when he entered there, a man from Uman came to him and began to bless him that he would stay there for a long time as usual. And he said that this house was certainly good for him because it had nice air. Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, responded and pointed with his finger outside and said: "Have you seen how good and beautiful this garden is?" [How does the garden seem to you?] And that man thought he was praising the garden in front of the windows. Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, responded and pointed with his finger to the 'Beit HaChaim' (the burial place) as the Beit HaChaim was seen from a distance through the windows as it stood opposite it. And he said about this garden: 'I am saying.' He responded and said: 'You do not know the greatness, honor, and value of the holiness of this Beit HaChaim here, for it is very precious and holy.' And so many times he spoke with many people and praised the Beit HaChaim of Uman very much. For there were buried there thousands and ten thousands of holy souls from Israel, and there was there a very great sanctification of the Name. And how many times did he explain before me and before a number of people that it is good to lie down there. Because there was a great sanctification of the Name there, and afterward, all his words were fulfilled, and he departed from Uman in the house of the man who gave him his dwelling there. They saw this and were amazed, and they all understood that the main reason for his coming to Uman was to depart from there. When it was heard from him in explanation a number of times. And concerning his staying in Uman, the ear could not be filled with what we heard, a little drop from the sea, from his holy mouth, and what flashed to us in our intellect as some sort of flash from this, according to the words we heard in hint from his mouth. For he did there in that summer that he stayed there great, wondrous, and very awesome rectifications, and there he dealt more and more with the rectification of the souls according to what is understood from the act he described to us about his entry there. And before his departure, he reminded me then of this act and said: 'Did you remember the act I told you?' and so forth, as stated above.

Again, I heard from one man who traveled with him, may his memory be a blessing, when he left Zlataipolia to dwell here in Breslov, and then on the way of his journey, he passed through Uman, and from time to time on their travel to enter the city, they passed near the house of the graves. Our Rabbi, may his memory be a blessing, responded: 'How nice and beautiful it is to lie down on this house of the graves.' And when I heard this, I stood trembling, for now we see that this had arisen in thought many years before and it was known to him that his resting place would be in Uman, for when he entered Breslov, it was many years before his departure. And all that happened to him from the day he entered Breslov until the day of his departure and all that he accomplished in those years, even according to what flashed in my mind, will not be sufficient for all the men of wisdom to explain even the end of it. And the counsel of Hashem will endure forever, for the end of all ends, the good gift remains in our hands after we have merited that the hidden preciousness was hidden among us in Uman as it had arisen in thought before him for many years. And through this, we still have hope to merit all the good that He desires to bestow upon us forever. And the word of our God will stand forever. And despite all this, there is much in my heart, but it is impossible to explain because of the darkness of the world.

218

In Uman before the last Rosh Hashanah he talked to his followers about his passing away, that he considered it to be already three years since he has passed away, for since the illness befell him he regarded himself in his own eyes as already passed away from the world. And he said he does know by what merit he miraculously remains alive all these three years, etc. Then his followers told him things and groaned a great deal: What shall we do? Who are you leaving us to? And he replied: You just hold yourselves together; then you will be kosher people, and not just kosher but even tzaddikim and good [Jews] you will be. For Hashem Yitbarakh will definitely help me that it will be as I wish, as I have long desired, for by Hashem's help I definitely have finished and will finish according to my desire. And he said that whoever makes contact with and connects with one of his followers will definitely be a kosher man in truth, and not just a kosher man but even a total tzaddik, as I would want. See below [#291-339] regarding his followers' stature.

219

That whole summer he looked forward a great deal to our being there Rosh Hashanah, because the main thing for him was Rosh Hashanah. Shavuot also many of his followers gathered there, and they thought he'd teach a torah as was his way every Shavuot, but he did not teach any torah that Shavuot. And he said then that "You are not such errant people..." as explained above. But Rosh Hashanh he taught a wondrous torah there in Uman, which is "Tik`u" LM II:8 that begins, "Even though rebuke is a great thing..." And Rosh Hashanah on the first day which fell that year on Shabbat Kodesh, after having the morning meal which was when he'd start getting ready to teach the torah — for teaching the lesson on Rosh Hashanah and Shavuot was always at twilight fore the second day, namely he'd begin at the end of first day yom tov and continue a long time into the night of the second — then on that Rosh Hashanah when he needed to prepare himself to say torah, the tuberculosis waxed strong on him very powerfully, and he started coughing up a great deal of blood because of the tuberculosis, which hadn't happened in a long time even though the tuberculosis had never left him the whole time he was ill, a duration of more than three years. But the tuberculosis had been nothing but phlegm, but not with blood. So the tuberculosis was attacking him severely, with very copious blood, and he was coughing up a great deal of blood, just like sprays of water, too unbelievable to describe, because many containers were filled up from his blood; and he vomited many times, and he said he had never vomited ever before except at that time. So the force of the sickness's surge at that time was inestimable, until he almost died then. And it continued many hours till it became night, and continued into the night as well for some hours. And we were already standing ready in the other house waiting for him to come in and say torah, and we were there, a great many people, several hundreds, both guests and followers, who were then quite many, several hundred, besides the rest of the city inhabitants who also came to hear torah from his holy mouth. Our eyes were finished all day, that he should enter in, and there was great pressure there, unbearable, and almost there was vital danger due to the great pressure, which protracted into the night, and still he hadn't entered in due to the severe surge of his illness. Then he sent to call me and I went in to him, and there were already candles lit in his room, and a few people standing before him, namely Rabi Shimon and his brother Rabi Yechiel z"l, and a few other men. He asked me what to do, because it's impossible to say torah, and I started talking with him. "Wasn't it also when you returned from Lemberg that it was also beyond nature that you could say torah then?" For then too he was very weak. "And nevertheless you taught torah then a great deal on Rosh Hashanah." And I said other such things to him. He replied, "Well then I'll give my life (emsor nafshi)." And he raised his hands as to say, "Behold, I'm ready to give my life for the sake of saying Torah." And he sent me to make a space for him there, to put his chair close to the doorway. For it might be necessary to take him out in the middle, God forbid, so that's what we did. Then he entered, in severe frailty, and went up and sat on the high chair they made for teaching the torah and he sat a while. Then he said that wondrous torah in a low voice. And when be started teaching, there was no natural way he could finish, because it was almost impossible for him to talk, even one word, due to extraordinary frailty, all the less say such a lofty grand torah. But Hashem Yithbarakh was at his help and he finished the whole torah entirely with Hashem's help, unto the end. Only he finished the explanation of the verse "Tik`u" not saying it then but after Yom Kippur. Also there was great pressure there and a lot of noise while saying the torah, because due to the multitude of people it was impossible to quiet them entirely, which had never happened before. Because always whenever he taught torah they were quiet; everyone silent was the norm, but this time even though [he] quieted them, and made them quiet at the start as usual, nevertheless each time they got excited in the middle due to the enormous pressure that was unbearable, and many people were in great danger, and almost fainted, and went quickly outside. But nevertheless we were privileged that he finished at that time all the torah at very great length. Happy is the eye that saw this!

220

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Rabbi from Breslov spoke to us, saying that being with him on Rosh Hashanah is the greatest thing. Although other righteous individuals do not say this, as they do not see it as so essential to be with them on Rosh Hashanah, he insisted that this is still a question. In other words, without this, they are already questioning him with many questions, and it will be difficult for him to answer even this question. He emphasized greatly the importance of being with him on Rosh Hashanah, even more so than other great ones. He spoke a lot about this, stressing that one should make every effort to be with him on Rosh Hashanah, as explained elsewhere.

221

On the last Rosh Hashanah in Uman, close to his passing, he was at the house of R. Nachman of Breslov. We prayed in the Ambar (a type of chamber or prayer hall) and he said that we should strengthen ourselves in prayer at that time. He mentioned that it is now appropriate for you to look and see what is going on, as our sages said, “Go out and see what is happening.” Unfortunately, we did not pay attention to his holy words and did not understand them. Shortly after, our eyes were darkened, our splendor and sanctity were lost, and we lost much due to our many sins. Even if all the waters of the world and all the lakes were ink, they would not suffice to explain even one thousandth of the loss we suffered because of our many sins. Woe to us that we were plundered. This is our consolation in our poverty, that we have not forgotten a little of his holy Torah. Were it not for his holy Torah, which was our delight, our hope would have ceased long ago. Still, we hope and yearn for the salvations of Hashem, for there is no obstacle for Hashem to save us with His great mercy. May He soon have mercy on us, redeem us with righteousness, and may this consolation be ours, as our afflictions will be turned into joy. Amen, so may it be.

222

On the last Rosh Hashanah, he was greatly afflicted by illness as mentioned above. On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, after the reading of the Torah, his illness worsened. Some people stood by him and hurriedly tried to bring a doctor, but they could not bring one because it was the middle of the night. He responded and said it is good to thank Hashem that the doctor did not come. He said that anyone who wants to have mercy on their life should make an effort not to let a doctor come to them, even though he himself might later command to bring a doctor. Nevertheless, he instructed them not to bring a doctor, even though it appeared to the people that he himself agreed to bring one. I knew that in truth, he had no desire for a doctor at all, even though I did not know at that time what he had said about the doctor. He was aware that people would insist on bringing a doctor, but he did not want this. This was his way in many matters. He once considered how many things he had done just to please people who insisted, even though he knew it would not help at all. This was also the case with the doctor. For this reason, I did not want any doctor to be called, even though it was evident that the people thought he agreed to it. He was seen to be agreeing with them in this regard, but he knew the truth was different.

223

On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, when his illness worsened, he said to the person standing before him: “I am no longer afraid of death at all.” The person responded, “Even so, we have done something in this world.” He meant that he had rectified and restored thousands and thousands of souls through repentance. He worked on many upper and terrifying rectifications, performing wonders and miracles, and he revealed extraordinary teachings. One person then approached him and tapped him on the shoulder, saying, “Abraham, from all places we have done something in this world.” And he understood.

224

When he was lying down and groaning a lot. Afterward, he responded and said: "This is not relevant to me at all; only one stands and strikes, and he is in the place where he is."

225

Our Rabbi of blessed memory already assured us during his lifetime, and designated two kosher witnesses on this, that when he passes away, when [people] come to his grave and give a token to charity^* and say these ten tehilim/psalms that we have recorded for remedy of nocturnal emission, Heaven spare us, then our Rabbi himself will span the length and width [of the universe], and will surely save this person. And he said that he will pull him out of Gehinom/hell by his peyot/sidelocks, even regardless of how that person be, and even regardless of what happened, only from now on he must accept on himself to not return to his wicked ways, Heaven forbid. And the night before he passed away he said: "What do you have to worry about, since I go before you; and if the souls who did not know me at all, look forward to my tikunim/remedies, all the more so [should] you" etc. (And likewise even those who were not privileged to know our Rabbi of blessed memory during his lifetime, when they come to his holy grave and rely on him and learn his holy books and accustom themselves to walk in his holy ways that are mentioned in his holy books, surely they have on what to rely. Fortunate are they! Fortunate is their portion! "And none of them that take refuge in Him shall be desolate" [Ps. 34:23], for he already revealed his mind in several terms, explicitly and by hint, that all that he is involved in with us is not for us only, but "with those who are here...and with those who are not here" [Deut. 29:14], as explained further below (see Sichot Haran 209).)

^* Copyist's note: I heard from Rabbi Naftali z"l, who was one of the two witnesses whom Rabbeinu z"l designated for this matter, namely Moreinu haRav Aharon z"l and haRav Rabbi Naftali as mentioned, that Rabbeinu z"l said it then in these words: "When they come to my grave and give a token to charity for my sake (he means, for remembrance of his holy soul, as commonly practiced), ..." and in Yiddish: "un vet gebin a pruta tzedaka fon maynit veygin/and will give a token of charity on account of me" etc.

226

I heard from Rabbi Naftali that he said in Uman, "As I leave the city, I will spread out my hands."

227

"I heard from Rabbi Naftali who said to him: ‘Before Rosh Hashanah, Amen, here is a great and awe-inspiring mountain going toward us. But I do not know whether we are going to the mountain or if the mountain is coming to us.’"

228

"Once he said: ‘Did they not break us like a broken vessel? Did I not think that all of you would be righteous? Righteous ones, great ones, with such intellect as this, which in several generations did not have such intellect, and now you have broken us like a broken vessel.’"

229

One time I asked him, "What about the things you said?" Namely, how we had previously heard from his holy mouth several statements that it appeared that he would live a long life and finish as he wished, etc. He spoke up and said, "Did you hear what he's asking? I too have this question." But nevertheless he said, "I haven't finished?! I've already finished, and I will finish!" as above [#218].

Also when he was traveling to Uman and I traveled with him he spoke with me regarding that Hashem Yitbarakh is constantly finishing, as mentioned above [#188]. And to explain all these matters would take much telling, for which many sheets would not suffice. The generality is that initially it arose in his thought when we became his followers that he would finish the repair immediately, and he made several statements indicating this; but afterwards, due to our many sins and the sins of the generation, and because of the vast determination of the Satan, to the extent that he made the opposition to him very great, by means of all this the world became out of order and he was not able to finish in his lifetime what he wanted. But nevertheless he said that he finished and will finish, as mentioned. For, after he returned from Lemberg, he attained such a way, and spoke such words, that his lamp will never, ever, go out, like we heard it stated in his name, in these words: "Mayn fayeril vet shoyn tluen biz Mashiakh vet kumen/ My fire will burn intermittently all the way until Messiah comes!" Soon in our days, Amen!

Part 2

[#230-240] His Effort and Toil in Service of Hashem

230

Rabbi Naftali recounted that our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, said that it would be good for a righteous man to have horses, so that he could occasionally travel with young men into some forest or the like, and there they would speak about fear of Heaven and engage in *hitbodedut* (secluded prayer or meditation), and so forth. For in the field and the forest, it is very good for *hitbodedut*. He then spoke about his practices in his youth: He used to take a horse from his father-in-law’s house and ride into a forest. Once there, he would dismount, tie the horse to a tree, and walk deeper into the forest to engage in his own spiritual activities and seclusion as was his custom. Many times, the horse would free itself and run back to his father-in-law’s house. When they saw the horse return alone, they would become very worried and frightened, thinking that surely he had fallen off the horse, God forbid. Several times, heavy rains fell upon him while he was in the forest, and he would return home late at night or even later. I heard from his holy mouth many times that the primary factor depends solely on efforts and work, and through this, anyone can reach great spiritual levels, and so on. He said, "I can make a righteous man, what they call a 'good Jew' (*giter Yid*), just like me."

231

I heard from someone who had heard from our teacher, may his memory be a blessing, that he once told him about his essential holiness in his childhood. When he was a small child, he already desired to be God-fearing and wanted to welcome the Sabbath with great sanctity, as is proper. He went to the bathhouse and immersed himself with zeal shortly after midday. After the immersion, he returned home, donned his Sabbath clothes, and entered the study hall. He walked back and forth, wishing to draw upon himself the holiness of the Sabbath and the extra soul (*neshama yeterah*) that comes with it. He yearned deeply to experience something, but saw nothing at all. He longed intensely to see something. While he was still in this state, people began entering the study hall. A prominent person came and stood by the lectern (*shtender*) and began reciting *Shir HaShirim* (The Song of Songs). He, may his memory be a blessing, went and lowered his head onto the lectern. Since he was still a small child, they did not reprimand him. He lay there and began crying, shedding copious tears for several hours until the evening, so much so that his eyes became swollen. Afterward, he opened his eyes, and it seemed to him as if he was seeing a light, likely from the candles that had already been lit, but his eyes were so swollen from crying that they were almost shut. Then, his mind calmed a little. All of this happened when he was still very young, as he indicated that he was about six years old at the time.

232

He said, "I used to pray and request very fervently that God, blessed be He, send me trials, because I was so determined in my mind — unless it would make me insane — that if it were in His wisdom, etc."

233

He said: "If it were not found explicitly in the words of our Rabbis, of blessed memory, that it is forbidden to say 'a dart in the eye of Satan,' I would say it myself. I do not understand at all the stories found in the words of our Rabbis, of blessed memory, from the Tannaim and Amoraim, who were greatly troubled by this desire, as several stories in the Gemara illustrate. For me, it is absolutely nothing, not even considered a test. Certainly, there is a secret to why the Torah regards this desire as a trial, for in truth, it is not a test at all. And whoever knows even a little of the greatness of the Creator, as it is written, 'For I know that the Lord is great'—*I know* precisely—does not consider this a trial at all. There is no distinction for me between male and female; I see the desire as I see you. I had countless tests, but they were not tests at all. But when there was a test, there were also several trials."

234

Regarding the breaking of desires and negative traits completely, with total nullification, in which he prided himself for having attained this, our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said that there are righteous people who have broken their desires, but it is like leather that has been treated. Even though the leather is processed, it still retains a slight unpleasant smell. Similarly, some have broken their desires, but still, a trace of them remains, and the desires still cling to them somewhat. He also said that the body needs to be cleansed of desires, just as leather is processed and turned. The body must be entirely clean and processed from desires, until it can be turned and shown to be completely free from any trace or scent of desire and negative traits in the world. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, was completely, entirely free from all desires and negative traits, with no trace of any negative trait or desire in the world. And he merited this in his youth, before he began ascending to higher spiritual levels, long before his journey to the Land of Israel. Afterward, he merited to ascend from level to level, reaching the heights he attained, and he reached such a lofty level that it is impossible to speak of it at all.

235

He said: "From the revealed things about me, you do not need to learn." That is, even though, as you see from me, it seems to you that I am often in sadness, you do not need to learn from this; rather, always be in joy. For do you think you can compare yourselves to me in everything and do as I do? In truth, I am in joy, but I constantly need to clear the way in a place that was chaos and wilderness, to make a path there, cutting away all the obstacles. And I need to chop down trees that have grown there for thousands of years, going back and forth, chopping and chopping again, so that the path will be paved for the public, allowing many to walk that way. Due to such efforts, I am in constant concern. He also said then that even Rabbi Shimon is related to this matter of clearing the way."

236

We have also already heard that, because his family descends from the kingdom of the House of David, as is known to the world, therefore, according to the Rav, they walk with broken hearts and are not accustomed to cheerful faces. For King David, peace be upon him, composed the Book of Psalms, most of which consists of words of supplication coming from a broken heart. For all his words are merely cries and pleas from a very broken heart. Therefore, his descendants also now have broken hearts, according to the Rav. For even the Rav, Rabbi Baruch, is not accustomed to cheerful faces and a joyful heart, only to a broken heart. However, we are warned to always be joyful.

237

He related that during his childhood, when he would eat his meal, afterward, he would give praise and thanks to Hashem in the Ashkenazi language for every part of his meal. He was not satisfied with just the Birkat Hamazon that he recited but would of his own accord give praise and thanks to Hashem in the Ashkenazi language for every part of the meal that he had been given that day. For example, they would first give him a little brandy and a piece of "lekach" (cake), and then radish before the meal, and so on. For every part of the meal, he would arrange praise and thanks to Hashem for each and every item specifically.

238

The narrator said: I heard that once, his righteous mother, of blessed memory, pressured him since people in the world were praising him and saying such great things about him. Therefore, she asked him to tell her what his level is in serving Hashem. He replied to her, “What should I say to you? I truly turn away from evil.” I also heard from the Rav, Rabbi Naftali, of blessed memory, that once his mother asked him why he doesn't push himself to eat a little, as how will he live? He answered her, “I live now only through wisdom, for wisdom gives life to those who possess it.” He further said to her, “I have people who know such things that they can live without eating and drinking.” [Simply put, he meant to say that even if they eat very little in the utmost minimalism, they can live by it because their primary sustenance comes from spiritual nourishment, as is also mentioned in the holy Zohar.]

239

I heard from the mouth of Rabbi Natan of blessed memory that after our Rebbe, of blessed memory, said the teaching, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep," etc., he said that this teaching refers to his personal practice of hitbodedut during those times. One should contemplate the immense humility, simplicity, and sincerity of his holy service all his life. Even though he attained what he attained, nevertheless, his prayers and hitbodedut between him and his Creator were with such a lowly spirit and broken heart.

I also heard from him, of blessed memory, that once a young person asked him how to engage in hitbodedut, and he taught him to say before Hashem, "Master of the World, have mercy on me," etc. "Is it possible that my days should pass in such vanity? Was I created for this?" etc. Later, at some point, this young man stood behind the walls of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, and overheard our Rebbe himself pouring out his heart before Hashem with such words.

240

I heard that once, one of our people complained greatly before him about the lack of his livelihood. Our Rebbe, of blessed memory, said to him, "I don’t understand how you have such a heart to disturb me with the vanities of this world. Don’t I seem like someone who walks day and night in the desert, striving and seeking to make the desert into a settlement? Because in each of you, within your heart, there is a barren desert with no inhabitants, and there is no place there for the Shechinah to dwell. I am striving and seeking at all times to make some repair, to create a place within your heart for the Shechinah to dwell. How many efforts are needed to take a thick barren tree, which they call 'dembel', and turn it into beautiful and useful vessels for human use! How much effort is required until they carve it, saw it, and shape it with tools and instruments needed for this work! In exactly the same way, I must exert myself with each of you to make some sort of repair. And yet you disturb me with such vanities."

I heard that his service and his awe-inspiring holiness, and the fear that was on his face on the night of Shabbat, particularly in his youth, were beyond measure and comparison. Once, he washed his hands and recited the blessing of HaMotzi at the Shabbat night meal, and all those at his table also recited the blessing and ate their bread. Immediately after he ate his piece of HaMotzi, his thoughts rose to a high place, and he became deeply attached to Hashem in great devekut and awe. He sat in silence with open eyes in profound and wondrous devekut throughout the night, and no one offered any more food on the table, for they were very frightened of him and feared to disturb him. In this state, the dawn broke, the sun rose, they recited the blessing after the meal (Birkat HaMazon), and left the table.

Once in his youth, his brother, Rabbi Yechiel of blessed memory, came to him for Shabbat. He saw the way he conducted himself on Shabbat night, and it pleased him. But during the Shabbat morning meal, people at the table were speaking mundane conversations, and this displeased Rabbi Yechiel. After Shabbat, he entered the room of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, and spoke to him about it. Our Rebbe of blessed memory asked, "Do you remember all the conversations that took place at the table during the morning meal?" And Rabbi Yechiel could not recall them all. Our Rebbe said, "I remember all of them." He went and locked the door to his room and began to recount all the conversations before him and to explain a bit of their meanings. He spoke with him until several hours into the day, with the windows closed. Then, he glanced at the clock and saw that the time for reciting the Shema of Shacharit had already passed, and he stopped the conversation.

Rabbi Yechiel left him in great weeping, filled with deep longing and wondrous arousal, so much so that for several days he could not eat or sleep, and only sat weeping intensely because of the great desire, yearning, and the wondrous spiritual awakening that had stirred within him from the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory. From that time on, he grew close to our Rebbe, of blessed memory, with true and extraordinary closeness.

[#241-290] The Greatness of his Awesome Attainments

241

241

I heard in his name that he said, “When do I have hitbodedut (solitude)?” And he said that at the time when the entire world is standing around him, and he sits among them, that is when he has hitbodedut. For he can cry out in a still, small voice, and his voice is heard from one end of the world to the other. I also personally heard from his holy mouth that he possesses a still, small voice, and he can stand among people and crowds of individuals, and cry out in a still, small voice from one end of the world to the other, and all the people around him do not hear it at all.

And similarly, regarding dancing, he said that when he sits among the people, he can perform a most wondrous dance. Once, I personally heard him say, “When I sit among the people, I am like someone whom the whole world is standing around, and I am dancing very much, and meanwhile, wedding instruments came.” Later, after some time, he spoke with us and revealed a bit of this matter to us, that we too can stand among people and cry out in a still, small voice, etc., as explained elsewhere.

242

Regarding the ability to make a handasenya [dispute] and send the matter to the emperor himself, etc., he said that this is what you see sometimes, that I write something and burn it. I send the matter by means of smoke, and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai hinted a bit about this in the Zohar, etc.

243

Regarding worldly conversation, even humor, which the great tzaddikim are able to lift up and perform a great devotion by their talking about secular affairs, and as somewhat inferred from the methods and practices which are told of the Ba`al Shem Tov z"l and other awesome tzaddikim from recent eras, and also in the holy Zohar a little is hinted about this, as is related there about Rav Hamnuna Saba "who was arranging three sections of silly material." But the eminence of the greatness of his wisdom and the enormity of Rabbeinu z"l's holiness and attainment in this matter of worldly talk etc. was very exceedingly high. A little bit of this was discerned and hinted to for whoever was privileged to stand before him and speak with him, for all the kinds of stories that exist in the world etc. which people tell, were all brought to him, and also all the affairs that are printed in the world were all present with him. And he always wanted people to tell him news from world affairs, for he was able to elevate and to perform extremely awesome and hidden devotions in all the stories in the world. And whoever was privileged to stand in his presence regularly, even though there was no one who understood the concepts of his practices even one drop in the sea — nevertheless it was possible to discern some scant hint how far the secret of his conversation in worldly affairs reached. For, many times we were privileged to hear wonderful Torah in the line of the conversation and the affairs that we told in his presence beforehand. And it is impossible to explain all this in writing, regarding conversation and stories with him in secular matters. And whoever was privileged to stand in his presence saw wonderful and awesome novelties in this, and many, many messages that were revealed though this, aside from hidden things, for he did not reveal so much as even a drop in the sea, for it was extremely closed up and hidden, in ultimate concealment. And still his great light is extremely closed up and hidden from the world, until Mashiach Tzidkeinu comes — soon in our days — then they will know his greatness and splendor. And more and more, before his passing way, from the time he returned from Lemberg until he passed away, which was a span of two years and more, during which he had his severe illness, then they told in his presence more and more of the worldly affairs. And always he requested that they tell news in his presence, and he said that he does not know how it is possible to live without news. And his way was, in general, that most of the day he was closed off and shut away, and afterwards he would talk with people, whether it was someone who needed to talk with him for some advice in some business, and especially advices in fear of Heaven, which was the bulk of his involvement with his followers, or whether it was other conversations and stories, whatever came to our mouths. And almost always he would come from that conversation to wonderful talks of Torah, prayer and fear of Heaven. And it was always the way with him that even when he would talk about worldly matters with people, his leg and most of his body would shake vigorously. And his leg would be actually quaking a great deal, and if he was against a table, the table and all the rest of the people against the table would also shake on account of him, for his leg and body were always shaking and trembling a great deal. And whoever was not privileged to see the awe that was constantly upon his face, has never ever seen awe. And all the kinds of worldly charm were upon him, and he was full of the most wonderful fear and love in the world. And he was full of wonderful and awesome fear, love and sanctity in each and every limb, and was devoid of all bad traits and cravings in such ultimate simplicity and ultimate nullity that are impossible for the human brain to conceive of at all, that there has never been anyone like him in the world. And he was such an extremely wonderful and awesome novelty that the mouth cannot speak and the heart cannot think it.

<One time I heard from his holy mouth that whatever speech presents itself before him becomes something else entirely — even [words of slander]: once they were said in his presence, they became entirely different matters. And I asked him about this, "Haven't our Sages said: A covenant was cut upon [striking with tzara`at whoever speaks] slander? [Tanchuma Vayikra 14:1], from which even David Hamelekh did not come away unscathed [v. Shabbat 56]?" He replied, "So what? Must we all now succumb in this matter?" I understood him to mean that nevertheless there was someone who could stand up to this because when he heard slander, he could turn it into something else. Nevertheless he said it would be better for us not to speak [words of slander] even in front of him. However, when it did happen that someone told it in front of him, it became an entirely different matter.>

244

"Once, our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, told me in a way of communication about the greatness of the sufferings he endures. He said that he is compelled to think about Bilaam every day within his prayer, and he did not elaborate further. The clear implication from his words is that he needs every day during the time of prayer to subdue the wicked Bilaam to nullify his impurity from the world."

245

"I heard from his holy mouth during the days of Hanukkah, 5563, he answered and said: I am a beautiful and very wonderful tree with very wonderful branches, but below, I am way down in the earth."

246

"Once, his son-in-law Rabbi Leib from Medzhebuzh passed away, and he received permission according to the custom. He answered and said: 'I have a daughter in Bikeremintshak. If I wanted to reveal from myself, all the world would run after me, but I do not want to.' And also, once, I heard from him himself, may his memory be blessed, that he said with trembling and perspiration: 'Do you not know what the nature of the world is now? If there were no such world, I would be a revelation, meaning that if there were no materiality and thickness of the worldly deeds now which conceal and obscure it so much, everyone would see his tremendous, awesome, and exalted distinction.'"

247

"Once, he sat together with the holy Rabbi, the Maggid of Mezeritch, seemingly during a third meal of Shabbat, and took hold of the Maggid’s beard affectionately and said to him: 'A revelation like mine has not yet been in the world.' [The scribe said: 'Do not be amazed, for did not the patriarchs and Moses, our teacher, peace be upon him, etc., and so on, for who can understand his holy intention in this.']"

248

Once he said: “The world would need to pray a lot for me because the world needs me very, very much. Without me, the world cannot exist at all.

249

In Kremenchug he said, "Men vet amal zogn, Ay, iz das geven a Reb Nachman/In the future they will say, 'Ay, was that a Reb Nachman!' For they will yearn for me a great deal." He also said that in the future it will be a big wonder that he had opposition, and they will say, incredulously, "This is who they were opposed to?!" He also said that when someone will have opposition they will say, Didn't they also oppose him? — so as to say that therefore the opposition proves nothing.

250

He said: The whole world needs me. Needless to say you do, for you in your core know how much you need me. Rather, even all the tzadikim need me, for they too need to be brought back to the good. And also even the nations of the world need me. But alas, "Dayyo le`eved lihyoth kerabbo/ Enough for the servant to be like his Master." [Tanchuma Chayey Sarah 4]

251

When he traveled to Navaritz, while he was sitting on the wagon, he said: "I have the power to bring the entire world to repentance, not only simple people, but even the righteous and great people. I am able to bring them to repentance. For even the righteous need to be brought to repentance. Not only the holy Jews, but all the nations of the world, I am able to bring them to the service of the Blessed Name, and I would be able to lead them close to the faith of Israel. But it is sufficient for a servant to be like his master."

252

He said that, for him, the aspect of desire is not a form of work, and the main work and effort for him is in the aspect of "return." That is to say, in the service of God, there are aspects of "running" and "returning," and this aspect is present in every person, even in the least of the least. For every person sometimes awakens to the service of God, especially during prayer, and sometimes his heart is very inflamed, and he says some words with great fervor. This aspect is called "running." Afterward, the awakening and fervor cease, and only the residue remains, which is the aspect of "return." And for most people, the main work and effort is to merit the aspect of "running," meaning to have an eager heart and awaken to the service of God, but the "return" is easy for him, because it is his nature. However, for him, his memory is a blessing, the opposite of what has already been broken and entirely nullified. Because of this, the "running" in his nature, and the main effort for him is in the aspect of "return." For truly, he must have the "return" also all the time that he needs to live, otherwise, God forbid, it will be removed without its time, and therefore, it is essential.

253

He said that whatever they want to do for me has many obstacles. For many stand and lie in wait to ruin that which they want to do for me. For on the contrary, when that thing is done, they receive and draw from it many benefits, and they stand and anticipate that it will be completed and that the matter will be done, and this is in contrast to that, etc. And this is said even about small things, the matter will be whatever it will be after it is for him, and there are many obstacles to it.

254

I heard in his name that he said: "There will yet come a time when people will be amazed at each other and will say to one another, ‘Did you know Rabbi Nachman? Have you been to his house? Did you meet one of his followers, this one or that one?’ And there will be a great wonder in the world at what a person merited to know him. Even those who will know his followers will see it as a great novelty. [For his name and true significance will grow so much, and everyone will know the true greatness of his immense stature until it is infinite, so that it will be a novelty in their eyes for someone who merited to know him, etc.]"

255

After the Torah said, "Trust in the Lord and do good," in Likutey Moharan I, 79, he would walk in his house back and forth as was his way, holding a staff in his hand and saying, "The staff of God is in my hand," meaning that he had merited to conquer his will completely, as explained in the above-mentioned conversations.

256

I heard in Lypovets that he said, "I am wonder-man, and my soul is a huge wonder."

257

I heard that he said: "I have a perception such that I could have brought the Messiah through the blessed Name, but I removed everything and took myself aside to return you to the right path, for this is greater than everything. For one who merits to correct his will is truly worthy. And then he proved to our people greatly and said, ‘How many efforts I made for you, how many times did my throat become hoarse, and my moisture dried up from the abundance of words I spoke to each and every one of you individually. And now, what have I accomplished? Even though you are righteous people, this is not what I wanted [for I intended to create complete righteous individuals, exceptional in their level], and how shall I come before the Throne of Glory. Yet I comfort myself with a few people that I have there in the World to Come. That is, those people from our community who have already passed away and are surely among his followers. And so I heard from him himself that those who have passed away are certainly among his followers, for those who are still alive are still in great danger, but those who have passed away are certainly among his followers."

258

Once he said: "I used to think that my evil inclination told me that there was no one who could lead the youth like me. Now I know with certainty that I am a unique leader in the world, and there is no leader like me."

259

He said to someone who asked for advice that he should take his wife and travel to remote places and be there in a great seclusion from the world. He should go out sometimes to the marketplace and look at the world and laugh at all the world. He also told me that there will come a time when you will long very much for such an amazing novelty that was in your hands, and you will have left it, etc.

260

He said a parable, that one time a big merchant traveled with fine Hungarian wine. One time the attendant and carriage driver said to the master, "Aren't we traveling on this way with this wine — and we're suffering so much. Give us to taste a little." And he gave them to taste from this good wine. After some days it came about that this attendant was together with wine drinkers in a small town, and they were drinking wine and praised it a great deal and said that it is Hungarian wine. The attendant said, "Give me to taste," and they gave him. And he said, "I know that this is not fine Hungarian wine at all, and they berated him and expelled him. But he said, "But don't I know that this is not Hungarian wine at all? For, after all, I was with a big merchant who" etc.; but they paid him no mind. And he said, "But in the future when Mashiach comes, then they will know when they give them the yayin hameshumar/wine stored up [for the righteous]. Others they will be able to deceive and they will give them Wallachian, Zdravetsian [סטראוויצטיר] wines and tell them that its good yayin hameshumar, but my followers they will not be able to fool, for we have already tasted the good wine" etc.

261

On the night before the brit milah of his son Shelomoh Efrayim z"l, he sat with us a long time and spoke with us a great deal regarding his greatness and the true eminence of his stature, and we heard several things then. And he said, then, that it is hard to enter into the heart of the matter of his greatness and impossible to talk about it because others also speak with such expressions; and whatever the mouth is able to speak, the other says the same thing. However, each person, in accord with what he reckons in his heart, can discern a little, where the real points of truth are. Discern this.

262

Many times he repeated about himself that which people say about him, that "there is no middle way here:" either he is, God forbid, as his opposers fabricate about him etc., "hadoveroth `al-tzadik `atak/who speak arrogantly against the righteous" [Ps. 31:19], the Merciful One spare us etc., or in fact it is the opposite, that he is a true Tzaddik, in which case he is a wonderful, awesome and exalted novelty that cannot be fathomed by the human brain at all. For, so did most of the public routinely say about him z"l, and he z"l repeated about himself these words many times, and hinted to us that the truth is so, that "there is no middle here." So as a person is given choice he must choose for himself the truth, for "ha'emet hu echad/the truth is one" [v. LM #51]. And from this very conversation one can discern a little of his greatness, for through the enormity of the opposition and controversy one can discern the truth by its real opposite and be stymied at the enormity of his immense greatness, for "there is no middle here," as stated. So, discern well the real truth.

263

In the year 5563 (1803), which was the first Rosh Hashanah in Breslov, I was with him on Rosh Hashanah and for all ten days of repentance until after Yom Kippur. After Yom Kippur, I traveled home, while Rabbi Yudel and Rabbi Shmuel Aizik stayed here for Sukkot. I heard many precious words from Rabbi Yudel, but I do not remember them well. On Hoshana Rabbah, he said in front of everyone, "What can I do when there are two murderers standing over me, saying, ‘Even though I am a leader,’" and he showed his hand toward Rabbi Yudel and Rabbi Shmuel Aizik, at the time when he said "two murderers." This referred to the fact that they were very attached to him. Who can understand the explanation of these words? For those men were very precious in his eyes, being among his greatest disciples. On Shemini Atzeret, he spoke with them about dancing, clapping hands, and transforming oneself, which is akin to "Moshe went up to God, and the Lord came down on Mount Sinai" [as explained elsewhere], and the matter of the "Freaking" that they perform, etc., and spoke with them about wondrous things. Afterward, a multitude of people from the city began to gather with him, with melody and joy as is customary on Shemini Atzeret. Then he said to Rabbi Yudel and Rabbi Shmuel Aizik, "Go to yourselves, for I need to engage with them, and it is not fitting for you," and they left him. After that, there was a great joy there, with a loud noise of singing and rejoicing. Then our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, danced a lot from some time before the night until some hours into the night of Simchat Torah. It is already known the greatness of his wondrous joy and the holiness of his dance, for anyone who did not see this did not see good in his days. It is already explained elsewhere that in that year, our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, danced a lot, i.e., on Shemini Atzeret and on the third meal of the Shabbat of Chanukah after he said the Torah [as found in Likutey A, Siman 8], and on Purim, and afterward on the first day of the month of Nisan, there was the wedding of his daughter Sarah, and he danced a lot with his daughter the bride at the third meal of the wedding Shabbat after he said the Torah [as found in Likutey A, Siman 49]. At the time of the saying of the Torah, he began with a wondrous voice from these words, and he, like a bridegroom, went out of his wedding canopy only when he delivered to us this Torah in his holy handwriting, starting from the verse, "The sun has set; there is a tent in them," as it is printed [in Likutey A, Siman 49]. After he said the Torah, he danced a lot with his daughter. Fortunate is the eye that saw this. I heard from his holy mouth that he said, "In this year, I danced a lot because it was heard then that decrees were going out against Israel, for by means of dancing and clapping hands, one sweetens judgments and nullifies decrees," as explained in the Torah, and these judgments are found in Likutey A, Siman 10, as written elsewhere.

264

He said, "Pray for me that I may return to my health and lead you on a new path that has never been before. Even though it is on the old path, nonetheless, it is entirely new."

265

Once, he related that it was close to when he began to teach the Hoshen Mishpat with the Shach and the Sma and learned in a short time until Siman 91, which is about two hundred pages. He said that he knows and remembers every small clause from where he begins. Then, a certain Rabbi came to him and began to ask questions about laws, and he did not know how to answer him. Afterward, a certain doctor came before him and spoke with him, and he did not know at all either. He said, "How do they take, etc.," and I do not remember all this well. He mentioned several times with people about some laws from the Four Tables of the Great, by heart, and he was very proficient in all the laws with great expertise. Even those who learned it from the poskim close to him could not stand against his great proficiency, for always all the learners who spoke with him in the proficiency of the Four Tables of the Great were nullified before him. I also heard in his name that he said if I would say explanations in Gemara [Rashi and Tosafot] all the learners and great ones would be placed under my feet, yet I still do not have a desire for this. And see elsewhere that he said that in revealed matters it is easier to innovate, etc., and whoever contemplates well in his words can understand by himself the great extent of his wisdom to the end and without limit.

266

He [Rabbi Nachman] said "All the benefits Mashiach can do for Yisrael, I can do; the only difference is when Mashiach decrees, he will say and it will happen, but I —" and he stopped and did not say more. An alternate version has: "... but I cannot finish yet." And another version is like this: "... with me there is bechirah/free will, but with Mashiach there will no longer be any free will."

267

I heard in his name that he said that he had ascertained the [Divine] Yechidah in the utmost top level. For as is known, the Nefesh/Vitality of the Neshamah/Soul is higher than the Yechidah of Ruach/Spirit, and so forth with the rest. And he ascertained the Yechidah in the utmost highest level. And he said, "Thus, I know 'a little,' and I stand on a high level; nevertheless I still want more. For, who knows? Maybe there is more, [as there are] heights above heights up to the Ein Sof.

<He said, "I will sing a song, in the future, that will be the `Olam Haba/Coming World of all the tzaddikim and chassidim. Copyist's note: See LM #64 "Bo El-Par`oh" and LM II #8 "Tik`u – Tokhachah."
One time he lifted his hands up to his shoulders, then brought them down from his shoulders and said, "All the tzaddikim are from here to here on me," that is, from his shoulders down. Then he raised his hands above his head and brought them down alongside his head, down to his shoulders and said, "and I am from here to here," that is, from the head to the shoulders. We'hadevarim `atikim/This is a tremendous statement. And look in the writings of the Arizal — if you have keen eyes to understand from there — regarding the greatness of the man who attains performing his Creator's will to the extent that he completes the "image of God" in entirety.>

268

He said, "I could receive endless amounts of money and there would be no change in me: For, the usual way with a man is that when money comes to his hand, especially a great deal of money, his face changes and other things change in him; but with me, even if I will receive an enormous amount at once, there is no change in me at all." And I heard in his name that he said that his way of receiving money is a novelty among the novelties that Hashem Yitbarakh has, for Hashem Yitbarakh has many novelties, and his way of receiving money is a novelty by Hashem Yitbarakh [even] among His novelties.

269

The fourth of Elul 5569, Breslev. He said, "I am more humble than all the well-known figures, for each one has his way of service, and I — am humble, for they are considered by me as nothing. For, the attribute of humility is to not consider oneself anything, but to be nothing and non-existent in his eyes. And since they are not considered anything by me, hence I am their humble one." Meaning: From all the well-known figures, I am the humble one, for this one does this and that one does that, and I do not hold of them at all; hence in the combination of all of them, I have the trait of humility among them. "However, whom do I maintain as being more nothing: myself or them?" etc. And nevertheless it appears that it is himself whom he maintains as being more nothing and zero. And similarly, regarding Moshe Rabbeinu a"h, what is written about him does not sit right with me, that he was "`anav me'od mikol-ha'adam/very humble above all man" [Num. 12:2]: How can this apply, since they all were his pupils? How could he be humble versus them? Rather, one must say the same as above, that he was "very humble, above any man" insofar as he had everyone's attribute of humility, namely, the humility of every man was with him, for all of them were, in his estimation, the category of humble, in the aspect of null and non-existent, as mentioned; but he held himself to be more null and non-existent, more than the category of nullity and non-existence that he maintained of them. Discern this well.

Copyist's note: It appears, to my humble knowledge, that his desire was to say: [Moshe Rabbeinu a"h was "very humble, above all man"] because he so much ascertained the greatness of the Blessed Creator — so much that the service of every man was considered to be in the category of nullity and non-existence versus His Blessed greatness. And he himself, even though he was the maestro of all Yisrael, for he ascertained more than them all, nevertheless he maintained himself as more null and non-existent than them all. For, specifically by his perception being so high, thereby he perceived that in relation to his level and understanding, his service is considered the most nothing, versus His Blessed Creator. And this is easy to discern.

270

He [Rav Nachman ztz"l] ordered that they should call someone to check his Tefillin. He then explained that since the Rav from Berditchev is presently travelling around the country, due to this I have ordered them to check my Tefillin. For in truth, even though I have said that I do not hold of them [the other Chassidic Rebbes], meaning that by me they are considered to be null and void, as above (in section 269); nevertheless, the Rov of Berditchev is exceedingly great in my eyes. When a great and well-known person like this is going and travelling around, this is an aspect of a defect in the Hispa'arus^[17], G-d forbid, so to speak. For Yisroel are the pride of Hashem Yisborach, and the greatest of Yisroel is the main Hispa'arus, since he is the most important and glorious person in Yisroel. When he sits in his house, then he is the aspect of [the verse], "Like the splendour of a man to dwell in his house". This means that the aspect of the Hispa’arus is “dwelling in its house”, which is the aspect of the Batim (‘houses’) of the Tefillin. However, when he is travelling around and is humiliated by people^[18], since on a journey a person for certain is humiliated (as brought elsewhere), especially a person such as this who has [a lot of] humiliation, for sure according to the level of his honour and his greatness that sometimes they do not give him the honour befitting him according to his Kovod HaTorah^[19]. And sometimes he has some humiliation in the matter of receiving money, which is not fitting in accord with his honour, and the like. Since the aspect of the Hispa’arus is blemished and humiliated, and it leaves its ‘houses’, therefore there is a concern over the Tefillin, which are an aspect of the Hispa’arus, as is known, since they are called Pu’er^[20] as our Sages of Blessed Memory have said.

271

The greatness of the merit of those who come close to him cannot be estimated, for their words have already spread among the world, among those who glorify themselves with such words. Yet, in truth, the coming close to me, just by itself, is a very, very great thing. For even though he himself, that is, the one who draws close, is nothing and does not behave in the proper ways, still, since he is among such people who come close to the tzaddik for such holiness, this by itself benefits him greatly. And over time, he will also awaken and return in repentance.

And see with your own eyes that you are fortunate to hear such words. And even if they do not hear the new teachings, only that they merit to be present when a new teaching is introduced, this is still fortunate for him. All the more so when they merit to hear it. And there is no need to say if they merit to hear such a new teaching once a year. Even if they only merit to hear such a new teaching once in their entire lives, this is enough for you. For if you had come into the world only to hear this, it would have been enough, as is explained in the holy Zohar. [Certainly, all the more so if we merit to hear new and wondrous teachings many times a year that have never been heard before.]

And he said to me then in these words [“Behold, you hear your soul”], meaning the aforementioned new teaching about the tefillin, that the rabbi, who travels and is shaken, needs to check his tefillin. And even if they are placed in great humility, nevertheless, the outcry in the world, even if it is immediately halted, does not get lost. Even if the outcry comes from the depths of hell, it does not get lost. And as is written in the holy Zohar, in “Soar, waves,” you praise them for what a person who lifts himself up and continues to reach any level, even if he does not reach it, this in itself is a commendation and honor for him. See there.

272

One time [an utterance] came out of his holy mouth regarding himself and he said, in these words, "I am the Elder of Elders (Saba deSavin)." And if you look into it and infer from the awesome tale of the Seven Beggars — in the story of the first beggar, who was blind, to whom the Great Eagle said that he is very old but yet he is a suckling babe and has not begun to live at all, etc., but yet he was old compared to all the all the elders mentioned there — you will understand a little of this matter. And similarly with the rest of the interests of that story, you can discern a little of the greatness of Rabbeinu z"l, ulechakima bir'miza/and be wise through hints.

273

Our Rabbi, may his memory be a blessing, was distinguished by not beginning to do anything in the world before he knew the secret behind it. Even regarding the common practice of producing tobacco smoke through burning and dyeing [using tobacco smoke], he did not start this until he knew the secret of this practice. Similarly, with all other practices, he did not start doing anything until he knew the secret of the matter. Even though he, may his memory be a blessing, knew the secret regarding tobacco smoke, he still warned us greatly to distance ourselves from it very much. He once spoke extensively about this practice that the world follows, of smoking tobacco, and said that it is a great folly and does not contribute to cleanliness at all. Also, the smell of tobacco, which is very unpleasant, further reinforces this discussion in another place.

274

He said, "What will be done with me, I do not know, but I have acted before the Blessed Name that the Redeemer of Righteousness will be from my offspring." And he said this publicly and greatly emphasized respecting and valuing his sons because they are very precious trees, and they will produce good and wondrous fruits. He also said that his offspring have taken from the world of the divine influence.

275

The world believes that when the Messiah comes, they will not die. This is not true; even the Messiah himself will die. And he said this publicly.

276

I heard in his name that he said he feels the troubles of Israel, may the Merciful One save them, before all the other righteous ones because he knows the decree and the trouble, God forbid, while it is still in its root. Afterward, the matter reaches the other righteous ones. And he said that this is because I truly know my own lowliness, and because of this, I know the great level of the sanctity of Israel, how precious and exalted they are because they are drawn from a high, awe-inspiring, and sublime place. Therefore, I know everything beforehand, as mentioned. The Blessed Name should have mercy on us through His merit and nullify all decrees and turn everything to good.

277

It has already been explained that he [Rav Nachman] was critical of the great Rabbis who were not concerned about the decrees that were being levelled against the Jewish nation (G-d forbid). They claimed that Hashem would definitely not do such a thing. The Rebbe z”l said they were making a big mistake about this; for we have already seen how there were many tzoros and decrees against Israel, may Hashem protect us from now on. He, zichrono livrocho, was very troubled by them. He spoke about them a lot, and toiled greatly with all of his strength and with self-abnegation to sweeten and abolish them. He strongly desired that every single Jew, especially the great ones, should daven a great deal to Hashem about them. Just like our forebears did of old, and as Mordechai did when the wicked Haman (may his name be blotted out) rose up against them, so too in every generation we must cry out exceedingly to Hashem yisborach over all the decrees which are heard chas v’sholom. And Hashem who is Good will hear our outcry and annul them, turning them into good.

278

He said that he acted in the Name of the Holy One, Blessed Be He, that when people come before Him to pray for a difficult childbirth, it will not be difficult at all for her if the prayer is said at that very hour when they come before Him. And immediately when they come before Him, she will give birth immediately.

279

I heard someone quote him saying: Since the time of Rabbi Shimon, who was a novelty as has been made known, the world was quiet until the Ari obm. Namely from Rabbi Shimon until the Ari obm no novelties were revealed in the world that were revealed by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, until the Ari obm came, who was a novelty as has become known. And he revealed entirely new things that there was no one to reveal such novelties until the Ari obm. And from the Ari obm until the Baal Shem Tov obm the world was also silent with no renewal until came the Baal Shem Tov obm who was a wondrous novelty and revealed new things. And from the Baal Shem tov obm until now the world was also silent with no such novelty, and the world was conducted only by the revelation that the Baal Shem Tov obm revealed until here until I myself have come. And now I begin to reveal entirely wondrous novelties etc.

280

On Sunday, the 25th of Nisan, 1810, he spoke with me about the new revelations of the Baal Shem Tov, Blessed Be His Memory, who revealed new things in the world. The story of the Baal Shem Tov, Blessed Be His Memory, is a new matter that was not revealed before. Only in the writings of the Ari, Blessed Be His Memory, can such things be found in certain places. And afterward, he praised very highly the writings of the Ari, Blessed Be His Memory, who revealed marvelous new revelations to the whole world, as he was examining at that time in the book Likutey Torah of the Ari, Blessed Be His Memory, where there are marvelous new revelations. He cited, for example, the verse "Eight of these gave birth to a queen," which the Ari, Blessed Be His Memory, revealed as a wondrous new revelation, because "eight times these," etc. See there. Afterwards, he responded and said that no one had looked into this at all, that everything revealed was only in part of Asia, for all the matters mentioned were only there in part of Asia. And indeed, in the Holy Torah, everything is explained because the Torah tells of everything, such as the Ashkenaz explains in the Torah, only that the Torah does not make a complete story of everything. It only speaks of them and places them, and where it wants, it makes a complete story, such as "white" and so forth. Yet, in the Torah, everything is alluded to. But the great ones of the ancients only revealed in part of Asia. And indeed, there were many lands also in other parts of the world even before the giving of the Torah, for at the time of the giving of the Torah there were already distant lands from there that received knowledge from the giving of the Torah through the Bay Dar, such as the land of Zaksin, which was already an ancient land even before the time of our father Abraham, peace be upon him, and also the land of Hungary was also an ancient land. And so forth in this manner, other lands that are not in part of Asia but in other parts of the world. And from these parts, they did not speak at all, only from part of Asia, for all the lands that they speak of, such as Egypt and so forth, and such as "eight of these" mentioned above, are all only in part of Asia. Only in the Holy Torah is everything alluded to, for our Master, peace be upon him, knew from everything. And he said that all these practices that are done throughout the world are all allusions to higher matters, for there is nothing empty in the world. For the world does not rest at all, not even for a moment. And they are always doing. And certainly, every action of the world alludes to what it alludes to. But it is only allusions in the world against infinity and without end. That is, everything is just allusions to what will happen in the future. For there will be a new revelation of the world. And he said in this language that everything done is only [a work of iron thread] against etc., and ancient matters. And he spoke a lot about this, and it is impossible to explain in writing because these matters are lofty and deep and very hidden. The hidden aspects of His ways, Blessed Be He, and whoever heard these things from his holy mouth could somewhat imagine where these matters reach, even though no one understood them. Nevertheless, from what he could imagine in his heart, they could somewhat imagine, etc.

281

In 5569/1808-9 on Motza'ei Shabbat he spoke up and said, "Even if a great soul were to come to us, we would still be seen as important figures. And in truth, they are not making opposition against me; rather, they make up some person they imagine," as explained elsewhere [Sichot Haran #182] etc. etc. while he sits in his house.

And this has already happened before, where they were opposing someone and he built a high tower and sat inside it. And they waged war on him and were sending and shooting arrows and fire at him, but they could not do a thing to him. However, there are precious stones which are formed from gasses and vapors, and there was a precious stone which was growing in the air, but it did not yet have its complete perfection. And by means of their firing arrows at him, as mentioned, they thereby cast down the precious stone and it fell on the tower. And this precious stone was of chen/grace/charm/favor, and as soon as it fell on the tower they immediately fell down before him and said, "Yechi hamelekh, yechi hamelekh/Long live the king, long live the king!"

But small souls, such as you, which fall down by means of the war, they are in the aspect of, "Tishpachena avnei kodesh/The holy stones are poured out" (Lam. 4:1), and it is called "pouring" because they do not yet have all their completeness and they fall down before they are complete. But the great soul, the precious stone — its aspect of chen was perfect. Albeit, other perfections it still did not have, but by means of the chakham/wise person it achieves perfection.

282

After Pesach 5565/1805 he told this to us: he said that now he knows two things, but he is not able to verbalize them, for they appear to be peshutim/the simple meanings, for the simple meaning of the thing appears just the same; however, now he knows these things.

Namely, he knew what our Rabbis z"l said: "Adam `over `averah omer shelo' yir'eni adam/A man who commits [lit. passes] a transgresssion says that 'No man will see me [alternately: Let Adam (the image of God) not see me].'" And he did not say anything, but only emphasized the words, "Shelo' yir'eni Adam," and did not explain at all what became known to him, for he had already prefaced that he cannot explain the things, for the simple meaning of the thing appears the same. But nonetheless, now the sod/deepest meaning has become known to him.

And the second: the statement, "Takhlit hayedi`ah asher lo'-neda`/The ultimate end of knowing is that a person does not know [Hashem]"^[21] became known to him — asher lo'-neda` mamash/actual "not knowing" (here too he explained nothing at all, but just also pressed on the words, "Asher lo'-neda`" — lo'-neda` mamash); and even though its simple meaning is thus, nonetheless only now has this thing become known to me, that the ultimate knowing is "asher lo'-neda`" — lo'-neda` mamash."

And he said that since he now knows "Takhlit hayedi`ah asher lo'-neda`" — asher lo'-neda` mamash, therefore he knows that since he has merited the end of knowledge, still, nonetheless he knows nothing at all: for, did it not seem to me, previously, that I was at this ultimate knowing, "asher lo'-neda`," and now I see how far I was from this end? (And he said it, then, in disparaging terms about himself, for he held this end from the earlier time to be foolishness, that it seemed to him then that he had merited takhlit hayedi`ah asher lo'-neda`.) For, now it has become known to me that "Takhlit hayedi`ah asher lo'-neda`" — asher lo'-neda` mamash! And this thing as well he cannot express or explain, for it appears like its simple meaning, but in truth, it is only presently that this has become known to him, and so too with the first thing.

283

After a long time, in the summer of 5570/1810, while traveling to Uman, he once again spoke about the aforementioned matter, and said that [he] knows nothing at all, that is, [he] knows absolutely nothing. And he extolled the greatness of the Blessed Creator, which is impossible to explain, and said that [he] does not know, as mentioned. And I asked him, "Haven't you already said all this and talked about this — regarding "Takhlit hayedi`ah asher lo'-neda`" — and already explained all this, that even though one merits this knowledge, "asher lo'-neda`," nonetheless one still knows nothing at all, for it had already appeared to you that you had merited this ultimate end etc. as mentioned?

He spoke up in reply, "Who knows, regarding what 'knowing' this 'end' was?!" That is, because also at the time when he told this, after Pesach, he also had not merited the aspect of actual "lo'-neda`" except in some knowing. That is, in that knowing, he merited the ultimate of "asher lo'-neda`." And what he meant was that there are knowings above knowings, and hasagah/perception/attainment above hasagah, higher and higher. And at each knowing and hasagah, all the way up, the ultimate end is, "Asher lo'-neda`." And he said, then, that even from the time when he left Breslev until now [which was on the same day; it had been no more than a span of a few hours, for at that time we had traveled no more than approximately three parsahs], again he does not know. That is, within these hours as well, he had merited the aspect of not knowing. Now discern these matters, for they are extremely deep, high and lofty things. Fortunate is a man born of woman who has merited such attainments, the utmost truth. And see above regarding this, that in this regard, in the aspect of "I do not know," he was a novelty, quite apart, as we heard from his holy mouth. And even though there is no one who will discern this matter, for it rises higher and higher, nonetheless I have not held back from writing it, for if a person merits it, he will discern and see inside a little, each according to what he measures out in his heart, and will be able to discern thereby a tiny bit of the greatness of the Creator, Yithbarakh Shemo.

284

One time I heard from the holy mouth that through him it is possible to understand a bit of His greatness, blessed be He. That is, through seeing the greatness of his perception and how far he merited to achieve wondrous and great miracles and awesome things, etc. Even so, what am I? Even so, I am just a piece of flesh. From this, one can understand and learn a thousandfold the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And truly, whoever merited to recognize the greatness of our holy and awesome Rabbi, blessed memory, would be greatly astonished and very frightened by the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. For through the greatness of our Rabbi, his memory for a blessing, one was able to understand a bit of what he imagined in his heart of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He.

285

One time he spoke with me longingly about how friends were gathered around Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and so on. And he said, "I would also insert my head among them," etc.

286

He said: I have already wondered about the world. For wherever there is some true good, it is fitting that it should come closer to us.

287

I heard from him in the winter of 5563 (1803), at the beginning of the drawing near, that he said that he knows the roots of the Torah from the place where the holy Torah came. For there are roots of the Torah that are above the Torah from where the whole Torah is drawn. And it cannot be enclosed at all within the Torah, and there are some that are in the category of a source, which is only a form of support in the world, relying on the verses because they are very high and exalted.

288

He said: Let us hold on to the scholars. For through the divisions that they argue with us, we come to great matters, and they do us a great favor. For it is so that through the divisions we come to grasp great matters. As we find that our sages, blessed memory, said: In the days of Moses’ mourning, three hundred halachot were forgotten, and Joshua asked the Holy One, blessed be He, and He said: I cannot tell you; go and chase them away in battle. And Othniel ben Kenaz restored them in his learning, and Othniel was a warrior, as we find that Caleb said: Whoever captures Hebron, I will give him my daughter Achsah. And Othniel ben Kenaz captured it. It turns out that through battle, he merited to restore the halachot that had been forgotten.

289

I heard it from his holy mouth, saying, "Ani kankan chadash maleh yashan/I am a new container full of old [wine]" [Avot 4:7]. Also, there was found among his holy manuscripts, "Ani zaken shebikdushah... shemegaleh devarim shekisah `Atik Yomin.../I am the Elder on the side of holiness... [see Isa. 9:14] who reveals things that the Ancient of Days concealed."

290

I heard from the holy mouth that he said, "I can now say that all the wise men of Israel regard me as the peel of a garlic. Only I do not have the courage, and half a thing I do not want to say." The explanation is that Ben Azai said, "All the wise men of Israel regard me as the peel of a garlic, except for this bald man," and he said, "He has the strength to say that they regard him as above." However, he does not have the courage to say anything more about himself, except this, and understand. It also seems from his intention that he has a matter concerning this. Only he is unable to complete the saying mentioned above in its entirety, and therefore does not want to say it.

[#291-339] His Followers' Stature

291

He said to Rabbi Yudel and Rabbi Shmuel Isaac, of blessed memory, when they used to travel to him from Dashuv to Me’advu’adivu’k’a, and once they wanted to travel around Me’advu’adivu’k’a to be constantly close to him, and they did so. Then he said that he was very longing for the paths they used to travel on to him. And he said that for every step they took while traveling to him, an angel was created from each step. And they said to him, "Do we not also have many efforts and how many steps do we take before we rent the carriage to travel?" He replied, "Certainly, even from these steps an angel is created from each step." And on the eve of the last Rosh Hashanah in Uman, he spoke about this and said in this language: “[I wish that I merit to see the light and brightness of the path that you are traveling on to me.]”

292

He answered and said: "The world is worthy of marveling at the love between us."

293

I heard that once he said to his followers, "Why do you think thoughts? You need only to provide stones and lime, and I will build from them wondrous and awesome buildings." [Meaning, we only need to engage in the service of God in simplicity, in Torah, prayer, and commandments, and He does what He does.] [And he drew many metaphors for buildings, praising the wondrous and glorious buildings He builds from this.]

294

I heard in his name that he said if he wanted to reveal and to show his awe [of heaven], people would not be able to stand within four amot of his house, however, he hides his awe purposely. And I too heard from his holy mouth, that he said, "I am a treasury of the fear of Heaven, from whom anyone who wants can receive." And truthfully, it could be seen, tangibly, that whoever became his follower was immediately filled up with great, enormous awe and developed such enthusiasm in serving Hashem Yitbarakh that one does not see. And now, too, his great awe is embedded in his holy books and whoever wants to delve in them in truth and wholesome simplicity, receives great awe and becomes very aroused for Hashem Yitbarakh, for all his words are as fiery coals.

295

I heard in his name that he said, "If we would see a treasure we would certainly run to it and dig and dirty ourselves in soil and mud to strive for it and find it. And am I not a treasury of the fear of Heaven? So why should people not be eager and running after me to receive it? And I asked him, "How is it possible to receive?" He replied, "Mitn pisk un mitn hertz/With the mouth and with the heart, one must strive and request; [It is very close to you,] 'in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it [Deut. 30:14].'"

296

I heard in his name that he said: “There is a concept in the Zohar that there is fear and there is fear, etc. I want to reveal and instill fear in my people, a wondrous fear that has not yet been in the world.”

297

He said to one of his Sabbatical guests that they are greater and better than seven times the fasts from Sabbath to Sabbath.

298

He said to one person that the power that David the King, peace be upon him, had, to say eight times, “Absalom, my son, my son,” and through this he elevated him from seven layers of Gehenna and brought him into the Garden of Eden, as our sages, of blessed memory, have said. This power is also within him, that he can likewise elevate a person from all seven layers of Gehenna and bring him into the Garden of Eden.

299

Once, he spoke with me about a matter that it is impossible to be a truly righteous person except by approaching the true Tzaddik of the generation. He answered and said: "Before the true Tzaddik is found in the world, one can approach the Blessed Name by oneself. But once the true Tzaddik is found in the world, it is impossible to approach the Blessed Name truly in any way except by approaching him. And I have a beautiful discourse on this with the help of the Blessed Name, and if it is the will of the Blessed Name to write it, it will be clarified elsewhere."

300

When he traveled from one city at the time when someone passed away there who was somewhat close to him because he did not travel to him in Breslev at all but only in Zlataipole, this person who passed away there in that city left behind a very good name. Then our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said: “Isn’t it that even one who touches him, even with a small finger, one cannot estimate his greatness? For isn’t it that this person did not come close to me all that much, only a little by little, as you know and understand, for he did not come to me at all? Yet, you see the greatness of the good name he left behind, and everyone praises and extols him for remembering the Blessed Name until the end of his departure, and the rest of the praises are truly beautiful that they have told about him, for even one who touches me a little, what is the value of his greatness forever and for all eternity.”

301

I heard from one of our people who reported that once our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said about the very essence of overcoming the evil inclination: “If they would take from you the evil inclination, it would lead to the flooding of the entire world with blood.” Even when you are righteous, you need a great merit to understand the essence of your own evil inclination, which only I know.

302

I heard in his name that he said that each of his people will certainly merit, in the end, to come to what they need in this world. He said that the Holy Blessed One does not act with him to take any of his people in the middle. That is to say, each one will live for many years and work hard and strive continually until he merits to attain his purpose and holy level that he needs to reach in this world, for which it was created.

303

He spoke about one who merits to be with him, that each time a person merits to be in his home and to witness his view, everything is not lost forever.

304

I heard in Lipovitz that he spoke with our people there and said: “What can you do to make repentance? And is it sufficient for you, with your time and strength, to correct even one flaw of what you have corrupted? Only I make repentance for you, and I have the power to correct everything you have corrupted until now. But the main thing is, from now on, do not continue to sin. Even from today and onward, I do not focus on the mistakes you will make, G-d forbid, but the main thing is that you should guard yourselves from intentional sins and he spoke a lot about this.”

305

I heard that once, after the Selichot on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, he stood and said: “Other people were eager for Rosh Hashanah to be like the eve of Rosh Hashanah that you had.”

306

I heard from a man who heard from Rabbeinu z"l that he said in these words: "My fire will burn until the coming of Mashiach."

307

I heard in his name that he said: “I have nothing to do in this world at all, for I do not need to do anything for myself. I only came into the world to bring the souls of Israel closer to the Blessed Name. But I can only bring closer those who come to me and tell me their shortcomings; I can correct them and so forth.”

308

He spoke to one who was a completely simple man and said to him: “Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said that you have the power to awaken even a great person to the service of G-d, for a small tree can light and ignite a very large tree. And so our Sages, of blessed memory, said: ‘Why are the words of Torah compared to a tree?’ To say that just as a small tree can light a large one, so too the words of Torah can.”

309

The true Tzaddik can do great good for a person even after his passing to the World to Come [for those who merit to come to him for correction]. And know that the main obstacle preventing those who do not merit from going to the true Tzaddik to receive correction is only what misleads and entices them away from this, confusing them with illusions and deceptions that do not actually exist in the true Tzaddik. For even there, among the destructive angels and the shells, there are great adversaries, just as in this world. Therefore, the main thing is to take this to heart, not to allow oneself to be deceived and enticed, but to stand firm in one's resolve to go precisely to the true Tzaddik, and then surely they will be permitted. And I heard that even there, one needs to strengthen their faith in the Tzaddik. He related a story about what happened in the land of Israel with the Tzaddik Rabbi Mendel of Vitebsk, with one of his followers named Rabbi Nach who passed away on the ship, and so forth.

310

He said that many images of God had fallen into mud, and I extracted them from the mud etc. etc. It was felt palpably that those who approached him had their faces transformed and they received a countenance of a Jew, in the aspect of the image of God. There are people with me whom I do not know if even the lowest depths of Hell would be enough for them, for even the lowest depths of Hell would be too small for them. If it were possible for them to dig below the lowest depths of Hell, they would dig, and through me, they came closer, and so forth.

311

He said, "I can make very wondrous vessels, but the shortcoming is that I myself must create the artistic vessels called ‘Gitzayeg’."

312

With the least of his followers, in this world etc. etc. will happen.

313

A story about our righteous teacher, Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac, of blessed memory, that our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, saw in a place where he saw that they were gathered in groups, and they pressed themselves to hear Torah. They said to one, “You teach us Torah,” and he replied to them. And he, blessed be his memory, heard and was greatly pleased, understanding the Torah as if he had never heard such a thing. He asked whether that soul was in this world and they showed him, and he sent them away. What happened happened, and before Passover, our teacher, Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac, had a dream of all the Torah that he had heard and came and told him with great fear and trembling and much sweat. And he left from there and remained weakened, and afterwards, shortly thereafter, he passed away. [The transcriber said that I heard that once, they were mourning and lamenting the passing of Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac, of blessed memory, and our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, comforted them and replied that now we have Rabbi, Rabbi Nathan.]

314

I heard in his name that he said, "The least among my people, I guide him on the path of a very great righteous person and so forth, and he will greatly arouse those who come close to him, let alone those who are worthy of being guided by him," and so forth.

315

He proved to one person who had previously approached and then distanced himself, and later returned to him during the Chol Hamoed of Pesach 5649 (1889). He replied and said: Even if years pass and he does not progress or rise from his initial level to a higher level in fear of Heaven, he still remains at his initial level as at first. And even if he is in a worse state than at the beginning, if he approaches the true Tzaddik, his approach in itself is very good beyond measure and worth. The paths seek their function, as it is written in the Midrash on the verse "The ways of Zion mourn" (Lamentations 1:4), that they lament over those who stopped traveling on them. Similarly, those who travel and go to the true Tzaddik, if one of them stops traveling, the paths also mourn and seek their function. For the paths yearn for another one to travel upon them to the true Tzaddik. I am amazed at how they cast away such a beloved and precious group from your soul. If during those years you did not walk in the ways of the Lord as appropriate, surely you lost what you lost. And if you had served the Lord appropriately, would it not have been good if you had included your service and Judaism into the partnership of the beloved friends? Others could expand their hands and succeed through your deeds and more so, to tell you what I am, and what you lost, it is impossible to tell you. If you travel from now on, you will regret the past.

316

He proved to one person who had not been with him for several years, and answered and said to him: Was not the whole world created only to serve this purpose? Therefore, everyone must give some power and assistance to this Tzaddik to serve as his service. There are those who make this service through their prayers or through their fear of Heaven, and through this they give strength and assistance to the Tzaddik. There are others who give him money or something similar, as everyone does something in sanctity, which makes it a service for the Tzaddik. But according to what I see, you are not at all needed because none of your service reaches this service.

317

I heard in his name that he said that messengers are sent from one to the second, and from the second to the third, until the matter reaches the Tzaddik. That is, from all the ailments, herbs, and all things in the world, messengers are sent from one to another until the matter reaches the true Tzaddik, who receives and understands from them advice for his service. This is in the sense that the whole world was created only to serve this purpose, that is, to provide advice, to give him advice. For the 613 commandments are called 613 “garments” of the Torah, and this is to serve as advice. He said that all of this is only in the sense of advice, but the work itself of the true Tzaddik is very high and concealed. Even an angel or seraph does not know this except for the blessed Name alone. And all this has some connection with the Tzaddik as he is clothed in a body. But from the perspective of the soul, it is a different matter, much higher than high, and there are also wonderful things in this matter.

318

He said, to gather at my place and to approach me is a very difficult thing, even for my own children. And if there is any approach more than sons, even they have many confusions and disturbing thoughts and similar issues. The main issue is at the time of the beginning. And every time the beginning is called, it is very difficult to approach, and even afterwards, what is done is only at the beginning. Whenever the beginning is called, it is a matter that is prevented, difficult, and very heavy to gather and approach.

319

He said to one person: I will make you into factions and factions.

320

He said: Whoever obeys me and fulfills all that I command, will surely be a great Tzaddik, whatever he will be. The main thing is to completely throw away one's own intellect, only when he says it will be fulfilled exactly as he says. He also said that this is a matter of a foolish people and not wise, as explained in the book Likutei Aḥarim, in Siman 123, from the statement of someone who is more capable of learning.

321

He said: I have a fortune that those who obey me will do what I command, and how many of our people have requested me, etc.

322

He said to one of his followers to whom he was talking about serving Hashem, “Aren't my eyes run out all day as I stand, look out, hope, long and wait the entire time, that Hashem Yitbarakh should let me be privileged to see in you [plural] what I desire, that you should be servants of Hashem in truth as I wish? And I hope with Hashem's help that it will definitely be so. And not only those who follow me, but even those who will follow my followers, and even someone who just touches them will definitely be a kosher man in truth, and not just a kosher man, but even a very great tzaddik” — whoever will be privileged to follow his followers. And I heard that he said it in these words, “Ikh hab mikh shoyn mayne oygen oys gikukt oyf eytlikhen bazunder/With my own eyes I have already spied out each one separately... and I hope to Hashem” etc. as above. Also on that occasion he said, “I have already finished and will finish — Ikh hab oys gifirt un vel oysfiren.”

323

Once he spoke to us and was astonished at himself how we merit and are worthy to hear from his holy mouth such exalted, awesome, and sacred teachings. However, he said: All ten Shekhinah dwell here.

324

He said before Rabbi Yitzchak from Terhavitza that the matter of teaching Torah is a unique one in its generation.

325

He said to me when I asked him if I should speak with people: He replied to me, "Yes, speak." I asked him, but I do not know what happens to him. He answered, "You do not need to know." I asked him, "What am I helping him with?" He replied, "What does that concern you?" And I understood his intention that he wanted to say, "You are acting accordingly."

326

He said to me: "A piece of the kingship and of the way of the world, I have already taken from you." He also said to me: "You have already been taken from this world."

327

He said that they should recount the deeds of our people and each one should relate a number of deeds.

328

When I was in Nemirev and was on my way to travel to him, may his memory be a blessing, in Breslov, once they told me in his name that he said and insisted that those traveling to him should come by foot and not by carriage. And that matter entered my heart deeply because I knew that surely it is fitting and proper for us to go to him by foot specifically, and I yearned for this. And the Blessed Name arranged and I merited to go to him by foot three times, and these three times were very beneficial due to the fact that I went on foot. I know for myself that in these three times, if I had not been strengthened to go by foot, I would not have been able to come to him at all in those three times. Blessed is the Good and the Benefactor for the wicked and the good, that we merited this. And what I gained, specifically in these three times, I know for myself that I still remember what I heard then and more than that if I merit, I will understand in the future. And so, my friend Rabbi Naftali also went by foot due to hearing those words, and the other friends were poor people who went several times to him by foot from a great distance. Blessed are they, blessed is their portion. But we, praise be to God, were for expenses because we were then wealthy people. Only due to the great yearning did the Blessed Name help us that we also went on foot several times, as mentioned. And refer to the laws of Yibbum and Ḥalitzah in Likutei Halakhot for what I wrote on this.

329

I heard in his name that he said about someone who came to him on foot that he remarked: “What if Nebuchadnezzar the wicked, who walked three steps on foot, merited a great and exalted kingship and rule? How much more so if one of Israel walks to the righteous for a distance of a parsah and more, how much more will he merit? No eye has seen such a thing.” It seems he said this about an individual from Tiraivitz who always traveled to him on foot from Tiraivitz to Breslev, which is fourteen parsahs, and once I stood before him, may his memory be blessed, when he came to him on foot. This person from Tiraivitz related to me that whenever he had a difficulty in his service of God, he would walk on foot from there to here. I understood that this was very pleasing in his eyes, may his memory be blessed. Likewise, once a youth from Naimrov, who was among his close associates, passed away, he spoke highly of him and said that his custom was that whenever he had difficulty in any matter in his service of God, he would walk on foot from there to here. Blessed are those who do so.

330

He said: “I could make all of you complete and awesome righteous people, but what would be the outcome if so? The Holy One, blessed be He, Himself would work for Himself.” [Meaning, His will is that we, by our own efforts and holy guidance, should achieve the service of God. But not that He Himself would do everything.] And I also heard in various contexts that he said: “I could give a person awe until he leaves his life and is nullified in reality.” And once, one of our righteous men asked him for awe, [presumably this was Rabbi Shimon, his servant], and our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, spoke with him and said that indeed he could give him great awe, but this is not the ultimate goal, for if so, it would lead to nullification in reality. And the person in question was eager, nonetheless, that he would receive great awe, and afterwards he fell upon him a great and sublime awe and began to cry out to the Holy One, blessed be He, with strange cries that he was not accustomed to until he nearly left his life and continued like this until the next day. And the next day he came to him and asked our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, if he had received awe. The person replied: “I do not want this again,” and asked him to take this from him and return to his previous state. And he also said to someone: “If I were to pass my hand over your eyes, you would see great and wondrous things, but I do not want this. Rather, you should work in the service of God yourself until you merit what you will merit.” And he also told me once regarding this matter: “If the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself wanted that He would work for Himself, then there would be no need for you.” [Meaning that a righteous person can continue the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, and He will help him in his service, even though he has done what he has done and is worthy of separation. Nonetheless, the righteous person can awaken the mercy of the Holy One, blessed be He, to draw him closer to His service, but not that the Holy One, blessed be He, would do everything Himself.] He also said to me: “You alone cannot do it” [Meaning that I cannot do or engage in the service of God without His strength and holy guidance], but without you, I also cannot do anything at all. [Meaning that to do me good at all times, I must exert myself to receive it, for what I need to do cannot be done entirely without me, even though truly everything comes from Him.]

331

The copyist writes: He said about a specific minyan that was for his followers in Nemirev, where they used to pray together, and afterward it was nullified: “Who knows what it would have been if the minyan of yours had been maintained? Your minyan was capable of breaking through the heavens.”

Also, once Rabbi Naftali, may his memory be blessed, was playing a certain psalm in the study hall at night with other people from our community, and our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, had already lain down on his bed. Our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, rose from his bed and went to hear their playing. Afterwards, he said to them: “You should know that your music was breaking through the heavens,” and you could imagine for yourselves that I had already lain down on my bed, and your music drew me from my bed to come to you, and so on.

332

He said, "I am a river that cleanses from all stains." <And he extolled himself further, saying, "Mi sheyiga` bi afilu be'etzba`, hu kevar ya`avor afilu shiva` meymot beli lehiratev/Whoever makes so much as the touch of a finger on me [i.e. whoever makes some contact with him or his teachings, his followers etc.], will already pass through even seven waters without getting wet [i.e. without harm]." [Alternately: Whoever so much as harms my finger will already pass by even seven waters without getting wet (i.e. without being cleansed]

333

It was said about Rabbi Nathan and Rabbi Naphtali [they are skilled] that once, Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, may his memory be blessed, said to someone who used to praise him in his presence, “May the memory of Rabbi Nathan, may his memory be blessed, know with certainty that he will definitely be a complete tzaddik, and our teacher, may his memory be blessed, was particular about him and said to him, ‘I am telling you that he is already a tzaddik.’” He also said to Rabbi Nathan and Rabbi Naphtali, may their memory be blessed, at the time when they approached him, “Is there not a familiar relationship between us? Only that it is a long time since we have not seen each other face to face, and now we see each other.” The scribe said, “I heard that once, Rabbi the Holy Tzaddik of Berdichev, in Tirahovitz, during a meal with a large assembly of people, greatly praised the sanctity of our teacher, may his memory be blessed, from his own side alone, apart from the great sanctity of the merit of his fathers, may their memory be blessed. And afterwards, he greatly praised the merits of those close to our teacher, may his memory be blessed, and said that he knew that most of them, if not all, are exceptional learners, fearful and complete, and men of action, etc. Then he said about Rabbi Nathan, may his memory be blessed, that he is a tzaddik. And afterwards, as he departed from there and sat with him in his carriage, Rabbi Shmuel Yitzhak, may his memory be blessed, from Tesharim, then the holy rabbi said to him, ‘Believe me, if I had known that the world would hear my voice, I would have shouted out loudly from one end of the world to the other, so that anyone who wants to be a righteous and complete person and serve God truthfully should be diligent and quick to approach the holy rabbi, Rabbi Nachman of Breslev. But I knew it was enough that they did not hear my voice; even so, it would cause a great disturbance to me. And perhaps there is someone who will reflect on repentance through me and lose even that. Therefore, I am compelled to be silent about this matter.’”

334

I heard that once, our teacher, may his memory be blessed, spoke about the merits of those who approach him, may his memory be blessed, that even if when they were mistaken and confused someone a little, the Divine compassion still covered them, yet they are strong in complete faith in him, may his memory be blessed. And he spoke of a certain person from his followers who was a great tzaddik and said about him that this person had a repentance that was like the Torah of the Ken. And it is explained in the books that anyone who makes this kind of repentance is assured that he will not sin, and on his behalf, that is, on behalf of this person, I am certain that he will definitely not sin. And one day, when the understanding of the aforementioned person was somewhat confused and the deep black anger prevailed over him, they brought him before our teacher, may his memory be blessed, and the aforementioned person told him that his main sorrow was from what our sages, may their memory be blessed, said: “Hillel obligates the poor, otherwise their hope would be lost.” Only that he is sustaining and strengthening himself in what he is approaching him, may his memory be blessed, that his power is great, etc., and he will merit him.

335

Once, our revered teacher, blessed memory, spoke with our people of peace and said to them: “Isn’t all my spiritual contentment and pleasure only when I see some words of Judaism and service of God in one of my people? Didn’t I give up my own self, my wife, and my precious children only for this purpose? If I had wanted to, I could have been famous and a leader whom people would call [Admor] like all the other leaders to whom the Chassidim travel, not knowing why they are traveling, returning, and coming back, not understanding what they are coming for. But I did not want this at all; I only took it upon myself to engage in this to return you to a better state. When I see some service of God in a poor person who walks with a torn hat, torn clothing, and torn shoes, it is precious to me, and I greatly desire that you be righteous people, for this is all my salvation and all my desire.”

336

He related with our people of peace and said that it was the third day that he had been engaged in one matter, namely, on some achievement, and he had not been able to achieve it until he had used some incident from one of his people. Through this, he had stood firm in the matter and achieved the achievement. He asked if there was a new thing regarding the Baal Shem Tov, blessed memory, who achieved such accomplishments after he had great and righteous students who performed great deeds like these. Once, our revered teacher, blessed memory, said before Shavuot 5567 (1807) that when it became known to him from the farewell of one of his close associates who was somewhat distant, he answered and said: “Who knows what was done with him there? But if he had been able to approach like the true close associates of mine.” And now, approaching Shavuot, he might have seemed to him that he was striving for the matter of traveling to me for Shavuot for the purpose of hiring a wagon and the like, and they would have been obliged to inform him: “What is it to you to strive for this? Didn’t you already die and depart?” And it was indeed better for him, for in any case, he was already known to him as having died. But now it might have seemed to him that he was holding some brewer [i.e., that which brews grains and makes beer] and buying grains and the like, and busy with his trivial business.

And even so, after Shavuot, our revered teacher, blessed memory, said that the aforementioned man was with him on Shavuot.

337

Before Shavuot, the aforementioned man stood before him, and people from Zaslav told him about a wealthy man who had given a large amount of money to the holy Rabbi Baruch, blessed memory. At that time, another person from Nemyrov stood before him, and he was a great poor man. Our revered teacher, blessed memory, answered and said to them: “This poor man has given me more than this according to his level and rank. For he supported himself from teaching, and when he heard during the days of Passover that the holy ones [i.e., that the time of hiring teachers] was in Zaslav and who knows if he might be delayed there until after Shavuot and if he would hire himself as a teacher, he would not be able to be with him on Shavuot due to the cancellation of the students’ time. Therefore, he did not want to hire himself as a teacher and spent the entire summer without any business and livelihood. It turns out that he volunteered his heart for his closeness to me more than the wealthy man mentioned.”

338

When Rabbi Natan, blessed memory, approached him, our revered teacher, blessed memory, spoke with his daughter Adil about this matter and extolled his praises. He said to her: “What did he say to you from his wisdom when he looked at this synagogue? When he gazed at it in the world, he would tell you how many amot it has in height.” At times, he also spoke with Rabbi Yitzhak, blessed memory, the son-in-law of the Maggid, blessed memory, from Tira and Vitz and praised the quality of Rabbi Natan, blessed memory. And Rabbi Yitzhak, blessed memory, had not yet seen him or recognized him. Then he said to him: “If you look at him, you will see that he is so lowly that he is like dust and clay.” And so it happened that Rabbi Yitzhak, blessed memory, went and encountered him as he was passing through the market with great alacrity, as was his way, dressed in clothing of honor like those of wealthy people, and despite this, he immediately recognized him as the person about whom our revered teacher, blessed memory, had said that he was in his own eyes like dust and clay.

339

He said that in the future, the entire world will be people of Breslev. And in the Ashkenazic dialect, he said in this language: “In the future, all will be Breslever Chassidim.” [Vet di gantse velt zayn breslevir chasidim] As it is said in the Midrash on the verse “And I will give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26), do not read “basar/flesh” but “boser/repulsed,” meaning that everyone will be repulsed by his fellow's portion [i.e. having no envy of it]. “LeV BaSaR/Heart of flesh” spells the letters of Breslev. Also, when he left Zlatipolia for Breslev, he dreamed of the Maggid from Tirhavitz in the sukkah, concerning his departure from Zlatipolia to Breslev, hinted at by the above verse: “And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). The “heart of stone” refers to “and he will give Shlomo the money as stones.” For the name of the city Zlatipolia is related to the abundance of money and wealth, and “And I will give you a heart of flesh” means letters of Breslev as mentioned above.

[#340-391] The Heights of His Holy Torot and Books

340

He said the world has not tasted anything of him yet. If they had heard even just one Torah teaching that I give with its melody and dance, they would all be nullified in complete nullification. That is, the entire world, even animals and plants and everything that exists in the world, all would be nullified in the totality of the soul because of the immense pleasure of the unparalleled and exceedingly great delight. It is possible to understand that someone who knows a melody and dance, when he plays, the nature of the melody draws the soul of the listener after the melody and he is nullified in the totality of the soul after the movements of the melody, according to each and every movement of the melody, according to what power there is to that movement to break and stimulate the soul to continue after it. All the more so for someone who can dance so that the dance will be precisely aligned with the movement of the melody. For there are movements in every limb that correspond to the movements of the melody, and for that movement, it is necessary to sway the head or to fold oneself, and similarly in other limbs and in the legs that need to make a movement in the body and legs according to the movements of the melody, precisely aligned. Especially for someone who plays a melody with words, and a song that arranges song and words with the movement of the melody, such that the song and words are related in a significant way to the melody, with the weight of the song precisely aligned according to the pleasantness of the melody and also the dance precisely aligned according to the pleasantness of the melody and the weight of the song, for everything is one when one merits to hear such a melody with song and words and such a dance, where all are connected to each other in a significant way, for the words, that is the song, and the melody, and the dance, are all one when one merits to hear this, then they are nullified completely in the totality of the soul because of the great pleasure of the delightful pleasure. And this is the greatest pleasure of all pleasures and there is no greater pleasure than this, and anyone who has not tasted this does not know pleasure at all. Blessed is the eye that has seen this because even in the World to Come not everyone merits to hear and see this, only someone who exerts effort on Friday evening and so forth. And those standing around him cannot and do not know what to do; they only have a totality of the soul and an extraordinary yearning from the essence of the pleasure, and he stands in the middle and does as mentioned above [and understand the matter well, for it is impossible to explain this in writing. And someone who knows a melody and dance can hear a little in his heart the essence of the delight and yearning mentioned above in the totality of the soul, until they are completely nullified and understand]. Also, anyone who is closer and more intimate becomes, by itself, all the movements of the melody are perceived as such in a tangible way in the example mentioned above that someone who is closer to the melody and dance and understands more, the movements of the melody and dance are naturally done by him due to the greatness of the pleasure. It is perceived in a tangible way that when a person hears a melody and dances due to the pleasure that is drawn after the melody, he also does the same movements afterward, and he plays and dances a little, for it naturally becomes for him the movements of the melody and dance. Similarly, when one becomes closer to holiness, everything that is closer to the Torah and the melody and the dance also becomes in the same way for him, the movements of all the aforementioned aspects of holiness naturally. All this I heard from myself and in the Ashkenazi language I heard that he said in this language [If they had heard only one Torah that I say with its melody and dance, the whole world would be nullified in the totality of the soul] and he repeated and asked [What did I say?] and Rabbi Nathan, may his memory be blessed, answered him that he said all the aforementioned and said to him our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed [What do you think] even animals and plants and so forth! According to all the aforementioned.

341

He said that what cannot be said in Torah in sections is a greater novelty, as it is already prepared and available for me with several great novelties, and within this everything is forgotten from me, and I do not remember anything and I do not know at all from any book in the world, and even a melody I do not know, only everything is as if it is forgotten and hidden from me, and this is a truly great wonder. And how many times I heard from his holy mouth about this matter, that it is usual for him that several times he says now I do not know at all, at all, not even though at the previous hour he revealed wonderful and awesome novelties.

342

It was said in the words of our Sages, may their memory be a blessing, that we find that everyone begins from their own verse. For example, what we find is that one teacher derives from this verse, while another teacher derives from a different verse. For everyone has a place from which they begin their learning and their Torah, and according to that beginning from this verse, so the entire Torah proceeds in their way. And the second one who begins from another verse has a different order according to his beginning. For everyone, according to their beginning from any place they are, so the order of the entire Torah differs for them. And if this teacher were to come to another verse of the second teacher, he would not be able to take from there, because everyone needs only to receive and take and begin from their own place, and so forth.

343

He said: If this book had not been published, that is, the book of Likutey Moharan, it would have become a different matter. For he had already had a desire several times to make legal rulings on a table set to clarify each law and ruling in halachah or to present halachah according to the words of one of the poskim for each law and ruling. However, now that this book has been published, it will not be a matter of the above. And indeed, the innovations of Gemara and the commentary of Tosafot are much easier. And none of them knows the way at all of those innovations, and whoever knows them finds them very easy, and one needs to be proficient in thirteen attributes by which the Torah is interpreted.

344

On the fourth day of Terumah, 1810, I entered with him and he told me this story. In these days, I was not at ease at all about how to live, for there were many new things, and I did not know how many times I was hoping and longing to know something. For I had learned one thing, but I did not know it within the Torah, and I was longing to know this as many new things. For it is certain that there could not be a matter that is not hinted at in the Torah. And now I have found it explained in the Torah, and initially, it was very hidden from me. And indeed, there are matters that are hinted at by allusion in the world. Also, there are some halachot on every thorn and twig, as our Sages, may their memory be a blessing, said that on every thorn and twig there are many layers of halachot, but now I have found it explained in detail within the Torah, and so forth. Also, there are things that are beyond the Torah. And because of this [that is, because of the matter that was known to me], now life is pleasant for me. For if I had already departed from the world, even if I had been privileged to know this there, they would have considered this to be for the World to Come. But now, on the contrary, since I was privileged to know this in this world, it is indeed that I will attain this reward even more in this world, and his intention was that now that he has merited this in this world, indeed, he will achieve even more reward, multiplied many times.

345

He answered and said: We are not at all part of this world as it is now, and because of this, the world cannot endure us, and authority [that is, leadership and guidance] is not applicable to me at all, for no authority reaches me in the present world. And even the little authority that I do have is not real authority at all. On the contrary, it is merely mockery and jest. And even the little that I have is only against the nature that I have suppressed in myself, so that due to this, any speech from me can enter into the world. And all the conversations and stories [that is, the teachings and statements he makes] of ours, if I did not have even this little authority, these speeches would not have come into the world. And indeed, if there were no such generation, if these matters [that is, the teachings he makes] were spoken in the generation of the Arizal, may his memory be a blessing, or even in the generation of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, may his memory be a blessing, there would have been a very great commotion.

346

It was heard from his holy mouth, that his holy sefer Likutei Moharan that was published is it'chalta d'geulah/the start of the Redemption. He said, "Since it's been published I very much desire that they learn it, because they should learn it so much that they can say it fluently from memory. For it's full of mussar and utter inspiration toward Hashem Yitbarakh; it's incomparable. Then he said explicitly that the study of the holy sefarim [meaning the Zohar, kitvei Ari etc. and his books] is it'chalta d'geulah, may it be soon in our days, Amen. And he said it's good to fix himself two courses of studying his holy sefarim: One course is simply learn a great amount rapidly so that it's fluent from memory, and the other course is learning in great depth, for there's enormous and wondrous depth in his sefarim. And see elsewhere regarding this, the enormous, infinite, endless depth of his utterly holy and awesome Torah.

347

Once, he urged someone to study his book and said that it is a great mitzvah to study his book a lot. He said that one can become a great tzaddik through studying his book because it contains great intellect and wonderful depth beyond the simple meaning of the words. And even if they persist in his books, they can merit to become a truly righteous person and then be worthy of seeing the inner essence present in his holy books, for they contain a lot of inner depth that is not at all apparent from their simple meaning. Fortunate is the one who merits to study and persist in them a lot.

348

He said that his Torah contains depth. And refer to what is written elsewhere that what is written in his language needs to be scrutinized like the reading of the Torah itself. For he repeats every time his words that seem to have an extra layer of meaning, and he does so with great intention. And one needs to scrutinize them very carefully, etc. And whoever has eyes and will pay close attention and heart to our Rabbi’s words, may his memory be for a blessing, will understand a little of the immense depth contained in his books, which is not found in any other book with such depth and pleasantness as in his holy books.

349

Once, he praised his book very much and said that it is possible to become a complete penitent through studying his book. He desired and yearned greatly that his book be published many times and disseminated in the world. And he said that there should be people who will learn and pray through this book. And he said that anyone who will sit and study his books without criticism and contention and will truly look into them, will certainly have all the hardening of his heart broken. And he said that every person should make an effort to purchase his book. And anyone who does not have what to use to purchase it should sell a pillow from under his head and buy his book. And also, another book of this type and refer to other places for more on this. And he said that his book should be very important and sought after, and it should be searched for extensively and printed repeatedly, and it should be very important, only I long to see this, and I will stand and look, etc. And he said that the sayings he wrote himself, even just the language alone, are very significant because they are principles.

350

I heard from his holy mouth that he said: My Torah is all in the category of aspects.

351

At the time when the book Likkutei Mohar"an was published, when the pamphlets were in manuscript form, he said: "To you, it seems like something simple. But how many worlds are dependent on this! And it is necessary to elaborate on this matter as much as possible, and if God wills, it will be explained in another place with the help of the Holy Name."

352

He said that the master of the matter can cover and obscure the eyes very much, but without this, the book would cause a great awakening in the world.

353

He said that all the tzaddikim, from Adam HaRishon until now, have had a place from which they have taught Torah and where they remained at the time of their departure. And the master of the good name, may his memory be for a blessing, understood from understanding and the Maggid, may his memory be for a blessing, from wisdom. Although understanding is lower than wisdom, nevertheless, he would say Torah from that understanding which is higher than wisdom. Rabbi Baruch, may his memory be for a blessing, from understanding which is lower than that wisdom. But I say Torah and so forth. I once heard him boast about the greatness of his Torah and said then, amidst his words of praise, "Isn't it true that I know from where I draw them?" And from the meaning of his words and his holy gestures, it was clear that he draws his Torah from a very high and exalted place.

354

He said: "The abstention from evil of mine is an exceptional novelty, and also the doing good of mine is very exceptional, for I do a lot of good truly, and my Torah makes a great impact in the world. For through my Torah, all the influences in the world are drawn. And he spoke to one person: ‘What is the exchange you have with wheat, you carry and exchange?’ Even this is drawn through my Torah." He answered and said that he has great compassion on two types of people: those who could come closer to him but do not, and those who come closer to him but do not fulfill his words. For I know that there will be a time when a person will be placed on the earth with his feet at the door, and then he will look at himself well and deeply regret that he did not merit to come closer to me or did not fulfill my words. For then they will know that if they had come closer to me and fulfilled my words, there would be no level in the world that I would not have brought them to that level. But it will be of no use then." He answered and said that if, Heaven forbid, the Messiah does not come quickly, the world will yearn for me very much, much more, and so forth.

355

He told me that someone greatly praised his teachings before him and spoke extensively about the greatness and wonders of his Torah. He said that one should make a great effort to purchase his books, as even when standing in a synagogue or a tower, they provide great benefit, since his books are a significant safeguard for the house to preserve both wealth and the person's assets from all kinds of damage. He then mentioned a wealthy man he knew who said that having his book in his house would be a great protection for everything and would ensure the preservation of his wealth. He cautioned the man he was speaking to about this, urging him to prompt the wealthy individual to buy his books. He also noted elsewhere how he longed for his books to be disseminated throughout all of Israel and not merely for his honor, God forbid.

356

After delivering the Torah, Rabbi Shimon opened Likutey Moharan I, Siman 60. He said that there was a beautiful wedding and that it was fitting to request from the blessed Name and the celestial entourage above for the wedding. I told him that it was certainly here. He replied in a general sense that he had heard that he was able to hold people in regard to the matter of Torah study for three days and three nights, without them knowing the difference between day and night at all, as mentioned in the holy Zohar.

357

He said that all the Torahs revealed before that were in the Land of Israel do not want at all to be written in their books; only what was innovated after being in the Land of Israel must be written down, even every conversation and discussion. He repeatedly warned to write down every conversation and discussion heard from his holy mouth, saying that if they are not mentioned now, they can be seen and studied at another time, but all the words heard from his mouth will never be heard again. Therefore, it is essential to remember every single word and write down everything, including every conversation and story. Due to this, I began to write down some of the conversations I heard from his holy mouth or through others, but only a small portion of the thousand was written down.

358

Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, explained that in every conversation and discussion he had with us, it is possible to find a righteous and even a complete tzaddik, as I desire, if one wishes to go along with it to fulfill according to his holy conversation. And anyone who merited to hear his holy conversations from his holy mouth knows this truly and clearly. Even now, when learning his holy words, they have also the great power to awaken the blessed Name to guide one in the ways of God truly, to whoever puts his heart sincerely into his words and holy conversations contained in this book and in his other holy books. For every conversation of his is an extraordinary and awe-inspiring awakening, a direct and proper path for the service of the blessed Name for everyone according to his level. Even someone at a very high level can receive a straight path and wondrous advice from every conversation of his. Conversely, even someone at the lowest level can receive a straight path and correct advice from every conversation of his, to save his soul from destruction and to return to God truly if he puts his heart sincerely into his words and fulfills them in truth and simplicity without any wisdom. Fortunate is the one who will grasp them.

359

One time he said incredulously, "The world reckons the Zohar and the Tikunim [i.e. Tikunei haZohar] equally." Inferred from what he said is that there's truly an enormous difference between the Zohar and the Tikunim. Even though the Zohar is extremely holy and awesome, it has no value at all in compare to the sanctity and secrets of the Tikkunim.

360

He said: "I do not say to you from my Torah except for the waste products, which are extremely low — thousands upon thousands, and myriads of levels, according to what I can grasp. I cannot say lower." And this has already been recorded elsewhere.

361

I heard in his name that he already said that he has Torahs without garments. The explanation is that he cannot clothe it with any garment. And he said that the Torah relies on the scripture as a support, just as one relies on something else. Similarly, his Torah is very high, to the extent that it cannot be clothed except through a support in the world, and understand. And he said that the reason one struggles so much before Torah is because it is very hard for him to bring down his Torah insights into garments and words that he can express and reveal. Therefore, great efforts are needed for this. And see in another place, because his method, blessed be his memory, was before Torah when he would sit with us for an hour or two and would toil greatly with many movements and groans. And although he would sit in silence, it was evident from his movements that he had great efforts. And afterward, he would open his mouth and begin to speak. And once I saw with my own eyes at the time when he began to speak the Torah—nine precious corrections, etc.—that he would repeat these words, "nine precious corrections," several times. And each time he would grasp his beard with his two hands on both sides of his beard on his jaws, and it was almost as if he was tearing them from the great awe and the immense self-sacrifice he had at that time. And it has already been recorded that he said that anything done in public is very, very difficult, and when he says Torah, it seems to him that as soon as he utters the first word, his soul will immediately depart. And similarly, with the sanctification, it also seems to him that as soon as he utters the first word, his soul will depart.

362

The Torahs and sayings in his holy books are general, and all that you search in them, you will find in them a wondrous and new taste, sweet to the palate and enlightening to the eyes. They contain great depth in both the simple and the secret paths. For all the Torahs contain hidden and wondrous secrets, very, very awesome. And it is impossible to explain this. Also, in every saying there are intentions of commandments, as each saying pertains to specific intentions explained in the writings in "Etz Chaim" and "Pri Etz Chaim." For example, the Torah of "Who is the man that desires life" [Likutey A, Siman L"ג] contains the secret intention of the Lulav, even though it does not mention the commandment of Lulav. And similarly, the "Kerov Alai" [Likutey A, Siman ש"פ] seems to contain the intention of sanctification [see below, Siman שפז], and similarly, the other sayings. And I heard from his holy mouth that he wished to make a commentary on the "Etz Chaim," but a simple commentary is not needed; rather, it is necessary to say Torahs that would be a commentary, and I have already said how many Torahs are related to the "Etz Chaim." Also, I heard in his name that he said that this is closely related to the "Etz Chaim" and that it is all moral. And similarly, there are many Torahs in the book like "Merkavot Par’oh" [Likutey A, Siman ד] "Ashrei Ha’am Zarka" [there, Siman לה] and more Torahs that he said at those times, and all of them are secrets of the intentions of Tefillin. And especially the Torahs written in his holy language, he said that one can be precise in them like in the scripture because there are many intentions there, and sometimes he repeats the words that seem unnecessary, but in truth, there is a great intention there. He also said that the Torahs written in his holy language, in themselves, are capable, as they are general. And the main thing is the moral and the good conduct and good advice that come out of them from each and every saying, apart from the hidden aspects that are in them, and so forth. It is impossible to explain this further in writing, except for each person according to their own understanding.

363

I heard in his name that he said in the earlier days, before I came close to him, that he was yearning for a learned and eloquent person to come close to him, and then he would be able to explain the writings of the Arizal, blessed be his memory, to the extent that even young people who know the book would be able to learn and understand all the writings of the Arizal, blessed be his memory.

364

Once I spoke with him about the subject of the AR"I's teachings, may his memory be blessed, and he said that the AR"I's teachings are entirely one with the teachings of our teacher, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, may his memory be blessed. Later, a few years afterwards, I happened to speak with him again about the teachings that the AR"I, may his memory be blessed, revealed, and he said that the teachings of the AR"I are very distant and exalted compared to the teachings of the Pardes, may his memory be blessed. I stood trembling and asked him in awe whether I had not heard from your mouth that everything is actually one. He replied vaguely, "If I said so, I knew what I was saying." The words are obscure and sealed, apparently. However, anyone with a heart to understand can understand from afar that everything is correct and his words are living, enduring, and the entire truth and firm and accurate and enduring and straightforward. For in truth, undoubtedly, everything is one in the inner essence of faith to its truth. Nevertheless, the ways of the revelation of the secrets of the AR"I, may his memory be blessed, are very distant and exalted compared to the ways of the Pardes, although in truth, to its truth, everything is one. It is impossible to elaborate on this matter because of the honor of God; the concealment is a matter, and the wise will understand [Printed in Sichot Haran, section 228]. He related that he knew all the words of the Tree of Life and the Fruit of the Tree of Life and all the writings of the AR"I, may his memory be blessed, and the Zohar and the main points of the Tikunim. And what is understood from his words is that these Tikunim include all the wisdoms in the world.

365

He said that those who study his books with some intelligence assume that the ways of the Kabbalah of the AR"I, may his memory be blessed, and similar teachings are also hinted at in his books. They think highly of his books that they reach there, and they do not realize that it is the opposite. On the contrary, even the ways of the Kabbalah of the earlier ones, may their memory be blessed, are also included in his words. He did not conclude with an explanation; he only elucidated his intent implicitly. In other words, his intent in the essence of his Torah is higher and higher, only that also his holy words are included in the words of his Torah.

366

He asked and said on Chol Hamoed Sukkot, 5699, "Where are we standing in the prayer?" And he explained afterward that all the orders of the Torah are in the order of prayer. And this Torah is relevant to this place of prayer, and so is every Torah. And still, we are standing before Baruch, who said, and after Hodu, that he is before Baruch, who said according to the Sephardic version, and said that there should be a vague one who could pray thus, that his prayer should be with all the orders of the Torah as mentioned above. And it is necessary that he prolong his days and years greatly so that he can complete the entire prayer, meaning to say the Torah according to the order of prayer until the completion of the prayer.

367

They told me that when I approached him, he said in the presence of other people, not in my presence, "Blessed is the name that he invited me gently some years ago, so that even if one word from my words would not be lost, and his intention was for me to be able to write all his words that come from his holy mouth, whether they are teachings or discourses, which are also Torah, and even if one word in the world would not be lost anymore."

368

Once, I entered his house, and he asked about me and was distressed that I was not present at that time. He said that he had no one to tell what he needed to reveal. And he said, "Could I not hold a lot with me, but only when the water has already risen above all its banks until it overflows outside against its will." And now also, I have no one to tell. He also told me at the time I approached him that if there is a righteous person, you could hear much from me, for I need one person to speak before him. For how many times I need to express words, so I need one person who can hear before him, etc. And how many times he would speak and reveal Torah before anyone who happened to be with him at that time. And he told me once about such a matter that he said once Torah before one person who did not understand his words at all. And he told me afterward that I need to speak and reveal, and this person came, and I spoke before him, but his will was that he should hear from someone who could grasp a bit, etc.

369

He answered and said to me, "And with this, you are not allowed to sustain yourself [with wonder] that you have a large part in the book." That is, in the book Likutey Moharan of his that was printed at that time, and he elaborated a bit on this discourse. And he said that the whole book is mine, that if I had not been, the book would not have been in the world. And he explained to me the matter, that it is so, that the entire book was made by me, etc., and he said to me that you know a little of the greatness and sanctity of the book and more than this, it is fitting for you to believe in the greatness of this book itself, etc., etc. And he said to me, "Did not a thousand books get printed, and each book came into the hands of several people?" That is, it is fitting for me to sustain myself for having merited to benefit the many with such merit, etc. Also, that not in my presence did he speak with some people from our people who have a large part in the book, and he said that it is fitting for them to show me gratitude, for if I had not been engaged in this, not even one page of his books would have remained.

370

He said, "Each of you has a portion in my Torah. But Nathan has a greater portion than all of you." He answered and said, "You know that if he had not been, there would not have been even one letter of the book for you."

371

He told me, "You will be in great darkness. You are obligated to be always in joy [he explained this to me]." He also told me [to throw yourself] [in wonder], and he said to me, "My brother, it will still pass; hold yourself." He also told me, "The Lord is with you, etc." [Do not be afraid] [What he said to Rabbi Nathan was that it is very good that he is allowed to be in great darkness; may the Merciful One protect him, I heard from Rabbi Yitzhak Leib, may his memory be blessed, from Teypilik, who heard from his holy mouth, that if he had spoken with him half the discourses that he spoke with Rabbi Nathan and Rabbi Naftali, you would not have had any existence at all, and the whole world would not have had existence either.]

372

He said that there is no part of a person that he did not speak Torah about, for he already spoke Torah about every part, and the part that a person has, for it is known that the stature of a person hints to what it hints, etc.

373

He said, "The Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be blessed, and many righteous people did and corrected in the world what they corrected, and afterward, when they passed away and departed, the matter ceased, that is, the illumination they had given to their students and brought them closer to the Blessed Name did not continue from generation to generation, but rather ceased. Therefore, it is necessary to do something that will have permanence forever. And so, he spoke again once that it is necessary to leave students, for these students will make other students, and so the students of students will illuminate further and further, and so on for generations."

374

I heard in his name that he said that all the high-level insights he attains are not considered significant to him; rather, the main thing is when he succeeds in bringing some utterance into the world. For every utterance he speaks before the world, all the upper and lower worlds are dependent on it.

375

Once, we stood before him at night and spoke with him a lot about several teachings he revealed to us [which have now all been printed, but at that time his books had not yet been printed]. I used to mention some teachings before him and elaborate on the essence of their novelty and praise. And many, many teachings, for every teaching is an astonishing and extremely elevated novelty that the soul will tire from the very depth of its sweetness and the elaboration of its novelty to one who is fortunate enough to truly examine them. We spoke a lot about this, and afterward, the next morning, I traveled with him to accompany him on the way. He replied and said, "Yesterday we arranged and organized our trade; blessed be the Name, it is a very, very beautiful trade. And it would be good if this shop served well and beautifully, so that it could be arranged and packaged well, with a bit of the edge exposed [like the chosen merchants who package the trade and leave a bit exposed so that the buyer can immediately see the essence of the beauty of the trade]. And when someone comes to buy a piece of trade, the salesperson will be able to swiftly grab the exact type of trade needed by the buyer and open it quickly before the buyer, so the buyer will immediately see the glory and beauty of that good trade." And the parable is clear: one must be very proficient in all his teachings so that he can present each teaching beautifully, with the edge exposed. And when someone comes and wishes to come closer and speak from his teachings, he can immediately provide the required teaching according to the person's interest. For all his teachings are a great generality that can contain what each person needs; one just needs to be very proficient in them so that he can provide for everyone what is needed at that time. And understand the rest by yourself.

376

He told me and said that he has lofty and hidden matters in his speech, with which he speaks to people, but it is impossible for me to reveal them. For I also need to speak with you, and if he reveals his holy ways of speaking, he will no longer be able to speak and act as he desires. He also said to the Rabbi in Breslov, our teacher Rabbi Aharon, that he loves you very much, and he blesses you, "May you merit in the World to Come to understand my mundane discourses." And this was before he was in the Land of Israel.

377

I heard in the name of our teacher Rabbi Yechiel, may his memory be blessed, the brother of our holy Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, who said in the name of our holy Rabbi that once he asked him about the matter that he, may his memory be blessed, warned his brother Rabbi Yechiel, may his memory be blessed, that he should be accustomed to speak with people to draw them close through this to the Blessed Name. And he asked him how many times it is necessary to speak with people about idle matters and mundane conversation. Our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, answered him that in all respects, some teachings of Torah enter into the conversations he has with them; thus, all conversations are rectified, and it is like what our sages, may their memory be blessed, said: "They wanted to hide the Book of Ecclesiastes, and why was it not hidden? Because its beginning is words of Torah and its end is words of Torah." And it is already explained elsewhere that one who is proficient in his books can find all the world’s discourses within his Torah, and so forth. And it is impossible that there be a discourse in the world that does not have relevance to his holy Torah.

378

Regarding the writing of his holy books, which many teachings he wrote himself, may his memory be for a blessing, and some of his writings were written by friends and others I wrote myself, he said that my language is close to the intended. He found my language very good and said that I am after him. This means that regarding the purity of the language of the teachings, my language is superior to all others by a lot. However, his own language is better and more refined certainly, but after his language, mine is the language that is immediately after him, compared to the language of the other friends, since he did not find their language satisfactory in many respects, as according to him, they did not reach the intended at all. And even the few who understood could not write in the book everything they understood in their hearts. And the Lord, blessed be He, gave me the language of teachings, and my language was found good in his eyes with the help of the blessed Name.

379

Once, there was an Aleph-Bet book in writing with our friend Rabbi Naftali, and Rabbi Naftali sat with him on the wagon as he was accompanying him when he traveled to Na'ovritch. He answered and said about the Aleph-Bet book that he saw in the hands of Rabbi Naftali, blessed be he. [My beloved and friend the messenger, this made me a Jew]—that is, through these matters said in the Aleph-Bet book, by each measure and measurement, he was strengthened to break every measure and measurement until he attained what he attained.

380

He said that he had in the Aleph-Bet book a letter "R" for healing, which contained all the remedies, and there was no ailment in the world that was not written there except that he did not want to copy it and burned it.

381

He said that if the owner of a good name heard his teachings, there would also be new insights in it; if Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai heard his teachings, there would also be new insights then.

382

When I wished to be in the Land of Israel, I said another teaching. Later, when I began to travel, the teaching also changed. For when I was in the Land of Israel, I said another teaching; when I returned, I said another teaching. And the main attainment of his was the wonderful and awe-inspiring teaching, which began after he was in the Land of Israel, until he now feels embarrassed regarding the teaching he said before the Land of Israel. And the entire book, mostly its entirety, is from the teachings after the Land of Israel, only a small part from before—three or four pages or less, and they are in the middle of the book.

383

I heard from his holy mouth that once he spoke from his book that was printed, and he responded and said, and he smiled a bit then, and said that they should print his books and write on each book that the author of the book is so-and-so and so-and-so, and so forth, just as they write about authors who have written many books. And he hinted to us through this that many of his books would be left. And thus, it was somewhat fulfilled with the help of the Name.

384

He said that it goes without saying that speech has to be regenerated — even if it is trivial, it must be renewed.

385

Once, I spoke with him, may his memory be for a blessing, and I said before him that his conversation is truly Torah, and he acknowledged my words. And he said that just as a scholar cannot speak without including within his words the words of Torah, so too, in all his words, it is necessary that they include Torah topics. We saw with our own eyes how many times his conversations turned into teachings, and from that same conversation, truly, a wonderful Torah was formed afterward, and this is what we saw with our own eyes besides the many hidden aspects that are in it, which cannot be known to people of our caliber.

386

He told that his practice was to speak many supplications and requests before the blessed Name while sitting at the table during the third meal in his room, alone with himself. He spoke a lot before the blessed Name until he began to speak of Torah from himself without any intention at all. And he then turned his ear to the words of his Torah that came out of his mouth then and saw that they were beautiful words, fitting to be said. And these are the words that I said in parts during the Motzei Shabbat after the Havdalah—these words are from the Torah he spoke during the third meal from himself as mentioned.

387

Regarding what was said in the saying, "In the midst of the community there is a purpose of sanctification," I heard afterwards that the purposes of sanctification are truly in the saying, "In the midst of the community," on me, the second one, in section 101.

388

He said that even people who hear the Torah of the righteous truth and do not understand it, will understand it in the future in the World to Come. For the essence of his Torah is for our souls. When we come to the World to Come, our souls will be proficient in those high Torahs. Even in this world, it is necessary to maintain them simply on all levels, to walk in them as we heard from the holy mouth many times, as it is necessary to walk with those Torahs. That is, to walk at certain times with that Torah. All his services, from morning to evening, will be accompanied by the practice of that Torah which he walked in at that time. Afterwards, he will walk at certain times with another Torah saying, and so he will continue always, until he has walked with all the Torahs he has said, and may the Holy Name help with this. The main thing is not to be hasty and confused, and not to want to grasp everything at once, but rather to proceed gradually, little by little, and through this, he will be able to achieve what he will achieve until he completes everything.

389

The connection and attachment of his Torahs is like a kind of construction and weaving, truly, that initially connects and attaches these two things together. Afterwards, it connects and attaches a third thing to the second one with several strong connections, and so from the third to the fourth, and so on. However, according to Rabbi, one must continually return and connect these four things together. At first, there is no connection between them together, only from this to that, that is, from the first to the second, and from the second to the third, and from the third to the fourth, but still there is no connection between the fourth and the first. However, afterwards, he brings a verse or a saying of our sages, blessed be their memory, or another proof, through which he connects them together until these four things are tightly connected together. Afterwards, he continues to connect several things, one to the other. And together, they connect to form the first connection. Initially, there is no connection between the two holy bundles except through some connection between one item from the second bundle and one item from the first bundle. But afterwards, he returns to connect them with proofs and wonderful ways that continue to connect the construction from the third in the first to the fourth in the second, and from there to the second in the third. And afterwards, from the second bundle to the third bundle, and so forth, and so on, and afterwards he connects them all together in an amazing way. All this I heard and understood from the holy mouth on the day after Yom Kippur, 5611, that preceded his passing, and still, it is necessary to elaborate on this matter and to bring examples from several Torahs so that you will understand this matter well and understand a little about the ways of this holy book. [And see further in the talks, the section of the service of the Holy Name, section 152, which also explains what he once explained to me and said that his Torahs are like one who enters palaces containing halls, rooms, and wonderful, amazing, and awe-inspiring corridors, and floors above floors with different terrifying innovations. And immediately when entering one room and beginning to look at it and marvel at the wonders of the innovations within, one sees that a wonderful opening has been made to another room. And so from this room to another room and from room to room and from room to a floor, and all are opened one to another with openings and windows, interconnected and combined in an amazing order with deep wisdom and the ultimate beauty and splendor. All this cannot be explained in writing except to someone who has entered a little into the understanding of our Rabbi’s words. Blessed be he. Happy is the one who merits to taste the sweetness and depth of his holy Torah.]

390

In *Likutei Tenyana* (Section 4), it is explained regarding the healing of a wound, but seemingly there is no explanation of these matters and their relevance to this teaching. The compiler said: I heard from our blessed ones that before this week's portion, which includes the aforementioned teaching, a certain important person from our community in Ladizyn, i.e., who had a severe wound from a [certain affliction], and was very ill, and the doctors gave up on him because they said that he could not survive. For even if the wound were to open and be exposed, it would be necessary to clean it and to remove all the harmful discharge from it, and so all other efforts necessary for the healing of the wound, and this is not possible due to it being within the [specific condition], and certainly he would die. The people of Ladizyn came after the week and told our Rabbi, of blessed memory, about all the above-mentioned. Afterward, during the week, our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said the aforementioned teaching, and there he discusses specifically the healing of the wound. And when they returned to their home, it was known to them that at the time our Rabbi, of blessed memory, spoke this teaching, the wound was healed, and immediately he began to recover, wanting to say from his pain, and after a few days, his wound was completely healed.

The principle is that what appears to the eyes at times is not necessarily indicative of everything that has happened in the world, particularly the matters that happened to our blessed ones, all of it was included within the words of his holy Torah. And through his holy Torah, he continued healing and fixing and sweetening all matters in the world, in general and in particular, both spiritually and physically. I heard in his name, of blessed memory, that he told a beautiful parable regarding the matter which greatly reveals how many wondrous Torahs and deeds and wondrous and awesome conversations, even though it is not yet visible that they will complete their work in our blessed ones as it was fitting for them. And he told regarding this a story of a certain king whose only son fell ill to such an extent that all the doctors gave up on him, and they despaired of his healing. Amidst this, a highly wise doctor came, and the king begged him with great pleas to try to help his son. And he answered him the truth that his healing was very difficult and far off. Nevertheless, if they would do one more remedy, it is possible that there might be healing for him. But I do not know if I should tell you this remedy because it is a very difficult and heavy matter. And the king pleaded with him greatly to reveal the remedy. And he said to him: Know that your son is in a very dangerous condition, to the extent that it is already impossible to give him even one drop of the remedies. But there are precious and special remedies such that a small vial of them costs thousands upon thousands, and it is necessary to fill barrels full of these precious remedies and to take full buckets of these remedies and pour them on your sick son. And it is self-understood that all these precious remedies will be entirely lost, but nevertheless, perhaps by pouring so much on him, some drop might enter his mouth, and through this, there is a possibility of healing. And immediately the king agreed to this and commanded to do so, and through this, the prince was healed.

And the parable is self-understood: Just as the righteous doctor must pour upon us precious and very awe-inspiring remedies, even though it seems that almost everything goes to waste, heaven forbid, nevertheless, a good scent is absorbed, and with the passing of time, perhaps we will merit to receive some precious and wondrous drop into our mouths and our inner selves, and through this, perhaps there is hope to receive complete healing in spirituality and physicality. Amen, may it be His will.

391

And he told of a king whose only son was ill to such an extent that all the doctors despaired of his healing. Amidst this, a highly wise doctor came, and the king begged him with great pleas to try to help his son. And he answered him the truth, that his healing was very difficult and far off. Nevertheless, if they would do one more remedy, it is possible that there might be healing for him. And the king pleaded with him greatly to reveal the remedy. And he said: Know that your son is in a very dangerous condition, to the extent that it is already impossible to give him even one drop of the remedies. But there are precious and special remedies such that a small vial of them costs thousands upon thousands, and it is necessary to fill barrels full of these precious remedies and to take full buckets of these remedies and pour them on your sick son. And it is self-understood that all these precious remedies will be entirely lost, but nevertheless, perhaps by pouring so much on him, some drop might enter his mouth, and through this, there is a possibility of healing. And immediately the king agreed to this and commanded to do so, and through this, the prince was healed.

And the parable is self-understood: Just as the righteous doctor must pour upon us precious and very awe-inspiring remedies, even though it seems that almost everything goes to waste, heaven forbid, nevertheless, a good scent is absorbed, and with the passing of time, perhaps we will merit to receive some precious and wondrous drop into our mouths and our inner selves, and through this, perhaps there is hope to receive complete healing in spirituality and physicality. Amen, may it be His will.

[#392-402] The Matter of the Controversy Over Him

392

He said, “How can it be that they do not dispute with me, even though I am walking on a new path that no person has ever walked before, even though it is a very old path, nonetheless it is entirely new.”

393

He said, “Even if there had been [a similar path] in the world, they would not have been able to compare with me.”

394

He said, “There are people who do not know me at all and dispute with me. And he said that it is stated in the holy Zohar on the verse ‘Come, let us devise a scheme against him’ and that Pharaoh did not go to each and every one and say, ‘Come, let us devise a scheme,’ but rather he put it into their hearts and so on. See there.”

395

I heard from Rabbi Yudel a story of things he heard from our teacher, may his memory be blessed. He answered and said that Abraham our father also had great sufferings from acts like these [meaning like the matters and sufferings that came upon him]. For Abraham our father also brought close young people to serve the Blessed Name. For he was also converting converts, as is known. And his method was that he would enter the city and run through the city, and he would cry out, ‘Woe, woe, dreadful.’ And they would run after him as one runs after a madman, and he would argue with them a lot, telling them that they were all in great error because he was skilled in all the intellectuals and reasonings of the foreign worship that they had, for the ancient idolatry had for them many reasonings and intellectual errors. And Abraham our father, peace be upon him, was very knowledgeable in all their reasonings and ways of error. And he would refute them and show them that it was all mistaken and reveal to them the holy true faith. And some of the young people followed him because the old people were already deeply rooted in their errors and it was difficult to return them from their way. Only the young people followed him and ran after him. And he would go from city to city and they would run after him. And their fathers and their wives would dispute with them, about those young people, because they said about them that they had gone to a bad education and had become estranged until they distanced them very much. Until some of the young people returned to their path because of the sufferings they experienced from their homes, from their in-laws, and from their fathers and their wives and so on, and some of them stayed with him and adhered to him. And Abraham our father was engaged a lot in this, to reveal the holy faith in the world. And he would write many books on this, thousands of books. And he had many sons and presumably after they were his sons, all of them walked in the straight path because even Ishmael repented. But after that, when Abraham our father wanted to leave his books and his wisdom in the world, he examined and contemplated in himself to whom from his sons he would leave his books and wisdom until he resolved to leave everything to Isaac his son and he gave him everything. And after that, Isaac also walked on this path and converted many converts and also wrote many books on the matter of strengthening the holy faith. And he also contemplated to whom from his sons he would leave his books and wisdom because also Esau was favored in his eyes and he deceived him until he loved him as explained in the scripture, as it is written: ‘And Isaac loved Esau because game was in his mouth,’ as Rashi explains there that he deceived his father with his words and would ask him, ‘Father, how do we tithe salt?’ and so on. But even so, Isaac contemplated in his mind until it was clarified to him that the principal one was Jacob and he gave everything to him. And so Jacob also was engaged in this, to bring close young people to serve the Blessed Name, and wrote thousands of books on the subject of faith because he wrote many books on the holy faith, exaggerations of books. And he taught all his sons the ways of the holy faith, for they were all righteous. But even so, he inquired in his mind to whom to entrust all his wisdom until he entrusted all his wisdom to Levi and to all of them he gave the heads of sections. And therefore the tribe of Levi was more attached and strong in the holy faith than all of them. And therefore the tribe of Levi did not err in the calf and also there was no Egyptian service upon them because the tribe of Levi was stronger in the holy faith than all of them. And after that he spoke about advice for a person to be able to come to him after his death and so on, and explains in another place on the matter of “New Stories” end of section 21.

396

In Uman, he spoke about the conflict against him, where false accusations were made. He responded and said in the manner of "Kublana," and I will redeem them, i.e., the verse stated in Hosea 7, where the prophet complains that despite wanting to do good for Israel, they speak falsehoods about him, just as it is written, "And I will redeem them" and "they spoke lies about me." However, he, blessed be his memory, only mentioned these two words, "And I will redeem them," and spoke them pleasantly in the tune associated with that verse, as is understood by one familiar with the scripture and its interpretation.

397

Once, he spoke about the tremendous and fearful truth of his elevated status. In his words, he responded and said that after these truths, Sennacherib came, as it is written in the historical books (2 Kings 19:32) which recounts the righteousness of King Hezekiah and then starts the verse, "After these things, and the truth, Sennacherib came." Understand the words and how he interprets this verse well, indicating that after the great truth of Hezekiah's righteousness came Sennacherib and caused him great distress. Therefore, one should not be surprised by the magnitude of the conflict that righteous tzaddikim face.

398

Regarding the decrees heard in his days intending to decree upon Israel [that, due to our many sins, already came out in our days; may the place have mercy]. I heard that once he spoke about this and said that it was possible to give himself some advice to deal with these decrees to annul them, but what could be done if there was no agreement with him and they argued with him. He brought evidence from the words of our sages, may their memory be blessed, in Taanit, showing that the disagreements and arguments were a result of the lack of consensus.

399

Once, we discussed with him about the “charuzim” (engraved phrases) that are read as “gram” and he said that there was something to it because the whole world behaves this way, etc. And I do not recall exactly the language he used if he said that the whole world conducts itself in this way or if there was another expression regarding this matter. He brought proof from a verse like that written in Isaiah 5:7, “For He looked for justice, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry,” where the language falls on language.

400

His holy discourse on the subject of how the world is currently governed had been the way of the world for many ages. There were times when the world was governed in such a way that the lesser individuals were great and significant in the world, and the world did not conduct itself with truth. Nevertheless, there was always one who was placed in a lowly position and played with the whole world, and he sustained and provided for the entire world with his merit. He experienced great delights in it, and he lived a complete life, truly called a life, as explained in the earlier section. For there are several kinds of life, as explained elsewhere, and just as we find people whose lives are lives of distress and are not recognized at all in the world, so too, their lives are lives of distress. Even in lives of distress, there are distinctions, as no distress is the same for everyone, and not all lives of distress are equal. Just as we see that undoubtedly the life of a horse is not equal to the life of a person. [His intention is that just as in physical existence there are great distinctions between lives, so too in spirituality, in true lives, there are distinctions. In this world, some attain true life, and there are also contrasts, and all the aforementioned distinctions.] And I do not envy the greatness of the great ones who have it now.

401

He said that all the great tzaddikim reached a level and stage that they attained, but they stood in that state, and I, blessed be the Name, am made into a different person every moment. He explained that those who disagree with him do so because the tzaddik is called a tree, with roots and branches, etc., and every tzaddik, when reaching his level, faces disputes. For our sages, may their memory be blessed, said, "The tree's bark is like water" – this indicates that the dispute is akin to water, and the water, i.e., the dispute, elevates him. But I must have ongoing disputes because I am always moving from level to level. If I were to know that I am standing now as I was in the previous hour, I would not want myself at all in this world.

402

I heard from the people of our peace in a somewhat different style. Once, the people of our peace were complaining before him that it was difficult for them to endure the matter of the dispute and the persecutions, etc. He responded and said to them, “Believe me, I have the power to make peace with the whole world so that no one will dispute with me. But what can I do if there are levels and places that can only be reached through dispute?” And he provided evidence that since Moses, our teacher, may peace be upon him, had the power to gather all of Israel to himself, as it is written, “And Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel” (Exodus 35:1), he was the knowledge of the entire Israel and had the power to gather and connect them all to himself. Nevertheless, what is written, “And they looked after Moses” (Exodus 33:7), and our sages, may their memory be blessed, explained that what is meant is that there are things that can only be approached through dispute, as they said, “The bark of the tree is like water” (Proverbs 20:30) and “The first water removes the dispute” (Proverbs 20:29). And it is written, “For man is a tree of the field” (Deuteronomy 20:19), and a tree of the field grows more when water is poured around it.

[#403-406] The Great Preciousness of His Rosh Hashanah

403

He said, "My Rosh Hashanah is above everything. And what has been a wonder to me is that if my followers believe me then why are not all of my followers heedful that they should all be [present] on Rosh Hashanah; no man should be missing! For, my whole thing is Rosh Hashanah." And he ordered to make an announcement that whoever turns to his sound and follows him should be at Rosh Hashanah by him, no man missing. And whoever is privileged to be at Rosh Hashanah is entitled to be very, very happy; "Ikhlu [ma`adanim] ushthu mamthakim... ki chedhvath Hashem hi ma`uzekhem/Eat [delicacies] and drink the sweet... for the joy of Hashem is your strength" [Neh. 8:10] — this refers to Rosh Hashanah.

404

One person said before him that it would be more pleasant for him to be with him on Shabbat Shuvah rather than on Rosh Hashanah, because he has no place to stand there in the Beit Midrash and also no good lodging to eat and stay. Due to this, his mind is very confused and he cannot pray with intention. Therefore, it would be better for him to be with him at another time, rather than on Rosh Hashanah. Our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, responded in this language: "Whether to eat or not to eat, whether to sleep or not to sleep, whether to pray or not to pray (meaning that not to pray with proper intention), but only that you should be with me on Rosh Hashanah, however it may be." [Indeed, all these matters are only the imaginations and deceptions of the speaker because, thank God, it is felt that those who pray with intention in the holy congregation on Rosh Hashanah are in a higher level than when they pray at home.]

405

He answered and said that Rosh Hashanah for him is a great innovation, and the Blessed Name knows that this matter is not a tradition from his ancestors, but rather the Blessed Name gave him this as a gift so that he knows what Rosh Hashanah is. It is not only that all of you are certainly dependent on my Rosh Hashanah, but even the whole world is dependent on my Rosh Hashanah.

406

On the last Erev Rosh Hashanah in Uman, we stood before him when we gave him our note [kvitlekh] and money for redemption. Then he asked about one person from Naimrov who did not come for Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Naftali began to answer him, but the words were not accepted and he was very particular about it. Then he spoke about another person who did not come for Rosh Hashanah due to a multitude of obstacles, and for this reason, he traveled to our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, before Rosh Hashanah and told him the obstacles. Our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, commanded him personally to return to his home and not to be with him on Rosh Hashanah. And this person was one of the important people and was very distressed that he would not merit to be counted with us on Rosh Hashanah. And he began to insist before our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, not to return to his home but to stay with him on Rosh Hashanah. And he was not persuaded, and he was sent back to his home. And then our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, said to him with a strong voice from the depth of his heart, "What can I tell you? There is nothing greater than being with me on Rosh Hashanah." And he said in this language with a strong voice [“What can I tell you? There is nothing greater than this, and if other righteous people do not say so, then it is still a question”], meaning that without this, he would already be questioned with many questions and it would be even harder, this question as well, and that is why he was so particular about being with him on Rosh Hashanah. From all his holy words that he spoke to us then, we learned many things. We learned again this time the great necessity of being with him on Rosh Hashanah. For even though we knew this already, despite that, from his many holy words then and his terrible movements then, we understood even more the necessity and importance, that it is impossible to explain this in writing. And we also learned how strongly he desired to be in Uman on Rosh Hashanah and that there is nothing greater than this. And we also learned how much effort is needed to break the obstacles from matters of holiness, especially the obstacles of being on Rosh Hashanah that need to be broken even more and to be exactly on Rosh Hashanah, even if he, may his memory be for a blessing, himself commands and agrees not to be with him on Rosh Hashanah. It is forbidden to consider this and one must be very careful not to ask him any questions about this, for he will definitely respond that he will not be there. Even though it is true that according to the truth of his will, one must be exactly so [and this is how he acts in his generations]. And this matter relates to what our Sages, may their memory be for a blessing, said: "In the way that a person wants to go, they lead him," as Rashi explains. And it is also from the words of our Sages, may their memory be for a blessing, on the verse: "Go with the people." And similarly, in sending emissaries which was necessary, our Rabbi, peace be upon him, himself sent them even though truly his will was not at all in this. And this matter we saw from our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, many times, especially regarding Rosh Hashanah, when there were people who had obstacles from being with him on Rosh Hashanah and asked him himself, and he replied to them that they would not be with him on Rosh Hashanah. And they began to insist, "Did we not hear from you the great warning to be with you on Rosh Hashanah?" And he acted as if he was particular about them and reproached them that they should not speak more, and so they did and did not come on Rosh Hashanah. And even so, we were privileged to be regulars to stand before him. We heard and understood in hint and explanation that the inner will was not comfortable with this at all, but he was forced to say this to them because they were asking him about it. And there is much to say about this and a little of it will be explained elsewhere. And thus he acts in his generations, that when people ask the Rabbi and leader about a matter that involves something like a sacrifice of the soul, he must respond no, even though according to the truth of his will he would sacrifice his soul and break all obstacles. Therefore, whoever wants to approach and break the obstacles in truth must be very careful not to ask him about this at all. And further understanding of this matter will be in other places that discuss similar matters and understand well that it is essential to be with him on Rosh Hashanah, as he said, that people can receive rectifications then that are not possible to receive throughout the year. Even though throughout the year, even he, may his memory be for a blessing, himself was not able to rectify them, but on Rosh Hashanah, they too can receive rectifications. Even though throughout the year, even if he himself is a blessed memory, he was unable to rectify them, on Rosh Hashanah, they too can receive rectifications. For he said that on Rosh Hashanah, he engages in matters and rectifications which throughout the year he is also unable to perform.

[#407-425] Keeping Far Away from Chaqirot (philosophy; rationalism; undermining or questioning the tenets of faith) and Staying Strong in Emunah (Faith)

407

About the philosophical books <about Moreh Nebuchim> he told us a great deal, many times. And he utterly, utterly forbade us to even look at them at all, God forbid. He put extraordinary stress on the severity of this prohibition, because they very much confuse one's religious views with alien views that that are entirely incompatible with the views of our Holy Torah. They [the authors of these philosophical books] also do not believe in demons whereas all the words of the Talmudic Sages say the opposite. Especially now that we've been privileged to [the revelation of] the Zohar, the books of the Arizal and the Baal Shem Tov of blessed memory and so forth, which are all founded on Ruach Hakodesh and greatly inspire a person in truly serving His Blessedness.

Therefore whoever wants to have pity on himself needs to distance himself, to the utter extreme, from the philosophy books that some of the Medieval ones wrote, such as certain commentaries printed in the Mikraot Gedolot which investigate things philosophically, and similar things which need not be specified.

He said likewise about the book Akedat Yitzchak, that one should not study it. He said this even though it's a kosher book, and only because it cites the words and questions of the philosphers. So too the [first chapter] of Chovot Halevavot [entitled] The Gate of Unity, The Book of Principles [Sefer Haikarim], Maimonides's Treatise on Logic [Millat ha'Higgayon], and Guide for the Perplexed, and all the rest of philosophers' books, one and all, are a big, big prohibition to learn because they damage and confuse the holy faith a great deal. Praiseworthy is he that knows nothing of them and walks in simple uprightness for: not in these [works] is the portion of Jacob [Jer. 10:16].

Though this has already been explained many times, nevertheless this warning needs to be repeated and reviewed many times, just how great is the enormous prohibition of this pitfall that can touch the holy faith itself. Rabbeinu obm would repeat this warning many, many times, uncountably, and every time he would speak of these books he put extraordinary emphasis on the severity of the prohibition to learn these books of philosophy. So he warned us direly to stay utterly far from them and not even look at them. Especially those books of the latter-day philosophers [e.g. the Maskilim], it shouldn't need saying, that one must definitely flee from them, saving his soul from the well of destruction, and not lose his eternal reward in entirety, God forbid.

This was a recurrent, pleasant saying in the mouth of Rabbeinu z"l: How good it is to thank Hashem for sending us the faithful one of his house, who is Moshe Rabbeinu r.i.p., who delivered us from all the confusions, and gave us the Torah, and ordered us to believe in Hashem without any questioning, and to perform all the words of the Torah and their commandments in their simple sense. Fortunate is whoever is privileged to conduct himself in simplicity!

<And Rabbeinu z"l said: What is printed in Sefer haGilgulim, that the Rambam was the Left Peah of Moshe Rabbeinu - he doesn't know if such a statement was uttered by the Ari z"l, "and in my opinion the Ari z"l did not say it." And one time he told a dream where he was quarreling with the Rambam for writing such things as the aforementioned.

And he said that according to their errant words, the Holy One, Blessed be He, cannot change, God forbid, even the simplest creature, not even a fly. That's how far they've strayed and gotten confused by their nonsense "wisdoms" (rationalism). Regarding what is written there in Moreh Nebukhim, "Can God make a triangle a square?" - Rabbeinu z"l said, "I believe that Hashem Yitbarakh can make a triangle into square. For God's ways are beyond our view, He is the Omnipotent, and there's nothing He can't do." And it's forbidden to enter in questions and paradoxes at all. Just hold steady in total faith, as we've already explained many times.>

(Also, what is brought in the Rambam's Yad, some philosophical queries such as in Laws of the Foundations of the Torah and in Laws of Human Dispositions, and in the beginning of Laws of Idolatry - a person needs to flee from them as well and not look at them at all. Any place philosophy is discussed, one must totally run away from there.)

408

He severely ridiculed what he [Rambam] wrote there regarding those that say about Kabbalat haTorah that God forbid Moshe Rabbeinu obm performed some clever tricks [and that's what's known as the miracles and visions on Mount Sinai, God forbid] etc. - and it's forbidden to even repeat things like this even by mockery, God forbid! God spare us foreign thoughts such as these! Woe to whoever lets just one of these thoughts in his mind! And there's no need to refute nonsenses such as these. And it's already explained in many of the sefarim of the earlier eras who decried these philosophical books like that famous one. And even though there are many that piled up [rebuke] on him, it's already known now that he was only acting for the sake of the Torah, since he composed wondrous sefarim on all the halakhot such as the Sefer haYad. Even Rabbeinu obm said: the books of the Yad where they discuss halakhot, are superbly done but the sefer Moreh Nebukhim, I hope Hashem can forgive the twisted crooked mistakes he made there that are unparalleled in touching the very foundations of the Holy Torah, as is known. And how can we deny the observation that's right in front of our eyes, that whoever looks there sees with his own plain eyes that his words are antithetical to the Torah, and anti the words of our Rabbis obm. Even the sefer haYad in places where it discusses philisophy makes grave errors as explained in the sefarim and yell a bitter cry over his claims in his first four chapters that he explains the whole Maaseh Merkabah and Maaseh Bereishit. Woe to any eyes that see such a thing! Woe to a heart where any evil thoughts like this enter in, that are against all the Sifrei Emet that we've received from the Godly Tanna Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai, the Ari obm and so forth. And now, dear reader, if you fear and and hesitate to detract from his honor, I understand. But God forbid you should look at such places, lest you lose your Eternal World, as many, many bad factions have lost theirs. And nowadays that they support their evil concepts on evil concepts like these, and hold them up in front of them as a shield and protection over those books - so pay attention and discern, who is it you should fear more? The sefer Moreh Nebukhim that's built on Aristotle's the Greek's thoughts, yemach shemo ve'nimach zikhro? Or lehabdil the Sefer haZohar haKadosh, the Ari obm, where Rashbi and his Friends obm composed in Ruach haKodesh according to Eliyahu obm, and all their words, the majority is received man from man's mouth all the way to to Moshe Rabbeinu obm. And whatever their originated new things, was in Ruach haKodesh, on a supremely high level, and they powerfully strengthen and establish the Holy Faith that began from Avraham Avinu obm etc., and very much motivate a person to perform Torat Moshe with all its details and particulars, and to keep far from those other books, they are the opposite of all this, as is known and publicized. Fortunate is whoever let himself not be misled by them, and instead chooses the honest Truth!

409

"And he said that one can recognize from a person’s appearance if they have studied [Morah Nebuchim], meaning that the countenance of one who studies that book has changed for the worse. For certainly, he loses the divine image of sanctity from this. Just as it is felt tangibly that most of those who engaged with these books in past generations became complete heretics and are suspected of all sins against the Torah. For these books, and similarly other books of the researchers, uproot a person completely from the faith of Israel, from our holy Torah, and from the Blessed Name, and their end is utter loss. I have also spoken with some people who are somewhat righteous and who have studied these books of the researchers, and all of them said unequivocally that they deeply regret having studied them, and would have preferred not to have known them. They testified themselves that it is proper to distance oneself very, very much from them, to the utmost distance. Blessed is the one who flees from them and strengthens himself in complete faith alone, according to what we have received from our forefathers, just as all of Israel believes without any investigations of their folly and nonsense."

410

"And once on Rosh Hashanah, our Rabbi, blessed memory, spoke to us also about this from the greatness of the prohibition to study these books that interpret the Torah according to the methods of the researchers [such as the books of Ibn Ezra, and specifically the wicked commentary called Margalit Ra'ah, and the books of the Ralbag, which are famous for what is written in them against the holy Torah, so that a person must tear himself away when he hears even one word from these writings. And likewise other books that follow this path] that all their premises are taken from the Greek philosopher Aristotle, may his name be erased and his memory obliterated, and the other famous heretics who were somewhat present among the Talmudic sages and somewhat in their times, that all the intentions of the Mishnah and Gemara sages, who forbade studying books of Greek wisdom, were regarding these books of these heretics who were all then among the Greeks. And wherever our sages of blessed memory mentioned heretics, their intention was on those who are drawn to their ways and their doctrines. Thus, even other complete wicked ones who are called heretics, as the fault lies in the ruined."

411

"For there was one philosopher whose name was heretic as his name, so may his name and memory be erased, and his wicked knowledge is famous in their wicked books. And how can it be considered by anyone who wants to be a Jew to examine books like these, which are built on the wicked foundations of famous heretics from whom all heretics and deniers of the world are drawn. It is impossible to explain in writing all that our Rabbi, blessed memory, spoke about this severe prohibition to study these books, Heaven forbid. And then our Rabbi, blessed memory, spoke with us and said that one should not study books of homilies and ethics except those that follow the words of our sages, blessed memory, in the Gemara and Midrashim, and the holy Zohar, and the books of the Ari, blessed memory, and all the books written by the righteous ones who are close to our generations, which are built on the foundations of holy mountains according to the words of the Baal Shem Tov, blessed memory. These are the books of the holy Rabbi from Polnoye, and the book Likutey Amarim. And he considered many such books as good to study. And the wise one will understand on his own from these words which books to distance from and in which books to strengthen and hold on to. Namely, those that are based only on the Gemara, Midrashim, and the holy Zohar, and the Ari, blessed memory, and the Baal Shem Tov, blessed memory. Blessed is the one who holds on to them."

412

"And he made light of the reasons for the commandments found in the book Morah Nebuchim and said, how can one say such nonsense about the reasons for the offerings and incense? Aren’t there many tremendous and awesome rectifications made in all the worlds above, to infinity, through the mere utterance of the incense alone. [That is, if the mistaken claims were true, what would be the benefit of the utterance of the incense and the offerings?] And how can one come to say such nonsense about the reason for the incense, which reaches a place that it reaches, that even the utterance alone performs what it performs above, as explained in the holy Zohar and the writings of the Ari, blessed memory. Truly, the reason for the incense and offerings cannot be understood at all, only we believe in the words of our Rabbi Moses, peace be upon him. And certainly, there are terrible reasons for it that cannot be grasped by any human intellect at all. And from the very greatness of their importance, the utterance of the sections of the offerings and the incense is very capable, and it brings about tremendous rectifications in all the worlds. Likewise, the reasons for all the holy commandments are high and exalted and hidden from the eyes of all living beings, as it is written: 'And hidden from the eyes of all living,' and so forth, and as it is written: 'Marvelous are Your testimonies.' I also heard from the holy mouth that when one engages with these books, it is like one walking in a desolate wilderness where there is no one with whom to encounter. Thus, when one enters these books, he does not find anything holy in them, and it is like walking in a desolate wilderness where one finds no one with whom to encounter."

412

And this, that he himself was known for his blessing, was sometimes involved in these books, which is a matter of the secret of how Israel went through the desert, which is the place of the Sitra Achra (the other side). It is written in the Zohar HaKadosh that Israel went through the desert because they had treaded upon the Sitra Achra in their journey there. With this intention, he would examine these books which represent the desert, and understand. However, for us, it is a very great prohibition to look into the books of such investigations. Also, examine in the Torah, "Come to Pharaoh" in the 64th section of Likutei Torah, which explains there the greatness of the prohibition to enter into investigations, as they are drawn from the vacant space, etc. And there it is explained that the great tzaddik must specifically examine them in order to elevate from there the souls that have fallen there. Examine there.

413

Once, a jester who was in Lemberg told a story. Amid his jokes, in rhymes and melodies as jesters do, he answered and said: "Old altar, old altar, old altar, God." And our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, repeated the phrase "altar" many times, just as the jester would often mention the term. And so, our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, also mentioned the term "altar" many times until he completed "Old Altar God." And the intention of our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, was to explain that he wanted to instill in us simple faith that we need to believe in the Blessed Name, who is primordial to all primordial things, ancient of ancients, and His faith is inherited to us from our holy and venerable ancestors. And the matters are somewhat understood by those who were privileged to hear them from his holy mouth and also now can understand somewhat from them. And the way of our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, was to tell this matter of the jester many times before a few people. And each time he told it, he would repeatedly return to the term "Old Altar" many times, and the ancient words. And the principle, even though our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, revealed terrifying and wondrous teachings that were unheard of in the world, and also told of wondrous deeds that had not been heard before, and so on and so forth, he continued to speak to us face to face a great deal in the ways of his conversations and world stories. And all this was to instill in us the holy faith and the fulfillment of the Torah and the commandments that stand upon it. And in many ways, he rolled with us like a father who educates his young son, that he needs to lower himself to him in order to accustom him gently to the study of the Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments. Similarly, he lowered himself to us and clothed himself in various garments and spoke to us in all kinds of worldly conversations, and from all of them, he rolled afterwards into a conversation touching upon His Blessed Work. And indeed, all the words he spoke previously in worldly matters were also all Torah, as I heard from his holy mouth that all his conversations were entirely Torah. Only that initially we did not merit to understand simply the service and the Torah that emerged from his holy speeches, and afterwards we went from matter to matter until we continually rolled from within them to a conversation touching upon His Blessed Work simply. And the main point was to instill faith in the world as mentioned above. Blessed are his people who stand before him to hear his wisdom and simplicity, for in every word and every movement from his holy speeches and movements, which are very pure, holy, and awesome, each one contained wondrous and profound wisdom and complete simplicity in the utmost truth. For simplicity and true wisdom are indeed one, as understood by the true sage.

414

One person asked him about the matter stated in the *Shulchan Aruch* regarding the intention during the recitation of the blessing, etc. He answered him, "What is missing for you is its simple meaning, my dear God. For through the recitation with simple intention, the hands and feet and all 248 limbs and 365 sinews of a person are compelled to tremble." Also, I heard from him in the house of R. N.N. in Uman after the evening meal, and I remained alone with him after the Grace after Meals. He sat in silence, and afterward, he answered and said with awe and fear, "God, God, God." This means that initially, he spoke with trembling and quivering to utter His blessed Name in completeness and said only half of the word due to the trembling and perspiration. And afterward, the holy Name came out of his mouth with great awe and fear in completeness like an arrow from the hand of a mighty man. His simple intention was to instill in us the essence of the awe of the Creator, blessed be His Name, who is worthy of trembling and shuddering from His awe, blessed be His Name, who fills the entire world and stands over us constantly. It is impossible to describe this matter in writing. However, the one who understands and truly desires will understand from his own knowledge many hints through this to strengthen himself in complete faith simply, to believe that the whole earth is filled with His glory, and that the blessed Name is with us and among us at all times. Pay close attention to these words in truth until His awe and fear are drawn upon you.

415

Regarding the difficulty of knowledge and choice, it is already explained in the book *Likutey Moharan* in Torah 21 that this is the aspect of encompassing intellect which does not enter into this intellect until the future. See there. And our teacher, may his memory be blessed, already had a correct answer to this difficulty. And the answer was in complete clarity, as is his way always, that he does not say anything that is left with any doubt, only clear and definite things as an example, and he has already written the matter of the answer in writing, but the text was lost from him, and now it is forgotten from him [as is his way always that whatever he has already innovated, he diverts his mind from it and no longer deals with it, only he seeks always new innovations completely, etc. as explained elsewhere]. Once, I heard from the holy mouth that it is impossible to grasp how the choice is within knowledge itself.

416

Once, we spoke with him, and he revealed to us that there is a sign of the renewal of the world, for if not, God forbid, where would there be room to accommodate all the inhabitants of the world? For it is felt that every time more people are added. For from one person come generations of thousands and tens of thousands of souls. And likewise from every individual, and if so [he means if the world were eternal and without limit and time, God forbid, according to the belief of the deniers, may their name be blotted out] it was already worthy that the whole world should be filled, and there would not be a place in the world that is finite and limited that could hold all that is added each time without limit and number according to their understanding. Once again, he revealed a second sign from the dead. For when one dies and is buried in the ground, the earth is augmented in all aspects somewhat. And even after it decays and becomes a rotting substance, in all aspects, it is added a little to the earth and to the dust. And if so [he means also in this way as above] it was already worthy that the earth would expand up to the heavens and beyond, according to their flawed and corrupted understanding of the deniers. If so, how could there be a place in the world to hold what is added each time without measure and number according to their understanding, for in all aspects something is added, and the dead are without measure and number according to their flawed understanding [that there is no time for the creation of the world], if so, there is no place to hold them. And understand. For they are clear signs to anyone who wishes to acknowledge the truth and does not stubbornly deny or anger, God forbid. The first sign is from the living, and the second from the dead, but in truth, we do not need to enter into any investigations and signs; we only believe in the blessed Name who created the world in six days of creation with complete faith without any investigations at all, as it is written, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." And I did not write this only because the matter came from the mouth of our holy teacher, may his memory be blessed, for it is not fitting that a single word from his holy utterances should be lost; therefore, I could not refrain from writing this to enlighten the eyes of the deniers and to show them their foolishness and error. For if they wish to place their eye on the truth of these two signs, they will see and understand that it is impossible to refute them; perhaps they will see and return to the truth. But we do not need any sign in the world, even these signs mentioned, for we are believers, the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and we believe in the blessed Name and His holy Torah without any investigations, only with complete faith alone. And this is the foundation of the entire Torah as our sages, may their memory be blessed, said: "Habakkuk came and established them on one principle: The righteous shall live by his faith."

417

"Once, it was heard that our Qirya (the Kabbalistic realm or structure) wanted to decree several decrees upon Israel. It was heard then that one of these decrees was that, Heaven forbid, Israel would be compelled to teach its children wisdoms and languages. And our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, said that for this decree, it is necessary to decree a fast and to cry out and shout to the Blessed Name more than for all other decrees. For this decree is a great distress compared to all the troubles and evils in the world because by this, Heaven forbid, they are causing a complete loss of faith. Just as we see palpably in our many sins that all who enter this path come out of faith completely. The Blessed Name should take pity on His people Israel and save the remaining remnant from them and from their wealth. Once, our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, said: Woe and alas that we are not considering at all for our children and our generations how to save them from these evil intentions that wish to sweep away the world, Heaven forbid, which are the paths of these evil studies of wisdoms and languages and philosophies that are now spreading due to our many sins, etc."

418

"I heard that our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, said in this manner: 'I am the "know what you will answer to an Epicurean."' And I also heard that he said about this matter: 'I and my people.'"

419

"He told me: There are some things that are initially secrets, and afterward are no longer secrets, like some secrets of Kabbalah that before Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the Ari, may their memories be for a blessing, were these things in a great secret, and they did not speak of them except in a very great secret, and afterward, in the days of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the Ari, may their memories be for a blessing, it was no longer a secret, and they permitted revealing the secret somewhat. And so, there are many things that are now secrets, and later on, in the coming days, will not be secrets. Also, regarding the books of researchers that some great ones have written which the world holds onto, etc., he specifically warned very much not to look at them at all because they are completely opposite to our holy Torah, as explained in our words several times, etc."

420

"I heard in his name that he said it is very good for someone who merits to enter and to wander in faith, and there are palaces and rooms there, and he enters and wanders from room to room and from palace to palace. And there are hidden, wondrous paths there, and from there, one enters and wanders with safety, etc., and afterward, one enters more and more. Happy is the one who enters and wanders there."

421

The righteous, even those of our times, are also precious in the eyes of the Blessed Name. However, if they were only those who distance themselves from the ways of the worldly, who follow and lead themselves strictly by the practices of the nations and their paths of research, wisdoms, and their intentions to emulate the ways, attire, and practices of the nations, as is unfortunately the case with many in our times, then even if the righteous would only distance themselves from these, that would be enough. For any leader, no matter how he conducts himself in his service, if he follows their ways, he is far from their ways, and so are those who approach them. After all, since they are meticulous not to let hair grow behind their ears, they do not grow a beard that is known as a "bai ha'ar" (a type of beard), and therefore, they are distant from the practices of the nations and from the category of philosophers and researchers who lead themselves in such ways. This is a very significant matter because the paths of research and philosophy are the greatest evil among all evils, and there is no evil greater than this. Happy is the one who is distant from them.

Again, he said that even the righteous of today are also in the category of mingling with them, as they conduct themselves in their homes like the practices of rulers and masters. As it is said nowadays about the righteous that they lead themselves like rulers, and through this aspect, it is also considered that they mix with them, and because of this, they cannot teach Torah. Even though they say some things that are relevant to the world, nevertheless, they cannot teach complete Torah. And since they do not know Torah, they do not know anything at all. For even prophecy is smaller than the Torah because the Torah is greater than everything and encompasses everything, and this depends on the fact that when they lead themselves in the ways of rulers, they do not know Torah. And since they do not know Torah, they lead themselves in the ways of rulers. For since they do not know Torah, they are compelled in every way to lead themselves in these practices. [Otherwise, how will their greatness and significance be apparent if they are not Torah scholars?] And this is in the category of: "The queen and her princes among the nations have no Torah; even her prophets have not found a vision from the Lord."

422

He spoke up and said, "This, you are not aware of: that in Germany, the books of the holy Zohar are not available. Even though books of the holy Zohar have been printed there, nevertheless they are not found there, but rather, are sold to our lands. And since there are no books of the holy Zohar there, therefore they go about dressed in Daytch [Deutsch, i.e. German] clothes. For, clothes are the aspect of makifim, and therefore one needs to be very particular to maintain his clothes in cleanliness and honor them properly. (And he stopped in the middle and did not at all reveal what relevance German clothes [characterized by a torso-length jacket (Ger. Jacke, hence "Yekke") as opposed to longer coats worn by Jews in eastern lands] have to the fact that books of the holy Zohar are not found there.)

423

Regarding the investigation of the researchers whom it is very important to distance oneself from in all manners of separation, and he said that the researchers have investigated the greatness of the Blessed Name and His exaltation as He truly is. For they have researched that He is Blessed, exalted, and elevated far above all kinds of thoughts, as He truly is, but they are not able to comprehend or grasp any commandment of the Torah through their investigations, because the commandments cannot be understood or grasped through investigation in any way. Because of this, they are great deniers. Therefore, one must distance oneself from them greatly, as stated.

424

Regarding the Sabbaticals, there are books by Kabbalists that consider this matter as explained in the books. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said that this is not the case. Every time he spoke on this matter, he did not agree at all. And the book "Sha'arei Gan Eden," which was recently published in our days, was in the eyes of our Rabbi of blessed memory, and he did not view it favorably because its entire foundation is based on the matter of the Sabbaticals. Once, our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said explicitly on this matter that this is not the case, and we wished to hear more from him. He responded and said: "What if I reveal to you even more about this, and that I have not told you what is sufficient? I do not want to reveal it." However, he said explicitly that this is not the case as those who consider the Sabbaticals, and the opinion of the Ari, of blessed memory, does not agree at all with the matter of the Sabbaticals. And the difficulty that is posed at the beginning of the book "Sha'arei Gan Eden" is not resolved at all in its response, which addresses the Sabbaticals, for in the end, one must remain only in faith, and it is forbidden to investigate at all what is before and so forth. Therefore, it is best not to start investigating at all in this matter and to rely immediately on faith, for in all matters of investigation and questions such as these, which are within His conduct, Blessed be He, and in the matter of the creation of the world, it is forbidden to investigate them at all, only to rely on faith, as explained by him many times. And see in the book "Shevhei HaAri" of blessed memory, which is connected to the book "Likutei HaShas," and its language there is: "And to exclude those who consider Sabbaticals, and previously there was the Sabbatical of Grace, and now it is the Sabbatical of Fear, all this is not true. And they heard from their Rabbi, and he brought from his own knowledge the reasoning of Sabbaticals, and the truth is not so," as stated.

425

Once, our Rabbi of blessed memory said in these words: "[Through faith, one can attain such a desire that they will not know what they want, and they will cry out: 'Help! Bind me, I am being torn into pieces. I want to be included in You,' etc.]"

[#426-429] His Witty Sayings

426

He said: Seek peace in your place, and pursue it from another place (Ps. 34:15 and Rashi). That is, sometimes it is specifically necessary to have peace with those who hate God, and through this, specifically, one should pursue peace from another place. Understand this well.

427

I heard in his name that he said he dreamt words of clarity, and they are: "Enemies are exacerbating one another; scholars, certainly not." That is, the difficulty is: enemies are exacerbating one another; scholars should certainly not. That is, since enemies exacerbate each other, for what reason should scholars not honor one another? The answer is that "certainly" means that, in regard to money, which is called "certainly," certainly it is an issue of honor and respect, as our sages, of blessed memory, said on the verse: "Length of days is in her right hand," and certainly honor and respect. Also, regarding the matter "enemies are exacerbating one another," in relation to this, "scholars, certainly not," means that in this regard, scholars should not have money called "certainly," and this is due to the fact that enemies are exacerbating one another. For scholars are called shepherds, and when there are enemies, they are called, Heaven forbid, shepherds of enemies, and a shepherd of enemies will lose his wealth. Additionally, regarding a third aspect: "Enemies are exacerbating one another. Scholars" means when will scholars be exacerbating one another, certainly not, when they do not have any desires for money at all.

428

I heard words of clarity in the name of our Rabbi of blessed memory that he said: Since the Russian Empire conquered the country, money and wealth have become dross, and the currency has depreciated. Your money has become dross, it is mixed with water, and understand this.

429

A jest about the cantor here in Breslev [from a handwritten note] who traveled to Tomashpil for Shabbat Shirah and did not arrive there but stayed in a village. And because the portion was in "Beshalach," he said: "And God did not comfort the way to Tomashpil."

[#430-435] Not to Be Insistent on Anything, and Not to Press the Time

430

It is not his way to advise a person and to decree upon him specifically to act in a certain way; rather, he gives advice in the form of a good suggestion: if he does, he does, and if not, not. Even though he desires for it to be done this way, he still does not force any matter to be done specifically this way. Rather, if it will be, it will be, and if not, not. I have several reasons for this. Also, I know that all the goodness of this world is not complete goodness, and every goodness of this world necessarily has something in it that is not good. For it is impossible for the goodness of this world to be entirely complete; therefore, he does not want to decree and force a person to do specifically as he wishes, lest in the end, something not good should result from his advice. Thus, in all matters, he does not force the situation to be exactly as he wishes. Even concerning the servant, he cannot force him to do specifically what is necessary to be done. And he said at the beginning of this discourse: "I am strong in all my matters." For in every matter and issue of my matters, I have several reasons. Even in this, I am very strong in not decreeing upon a person to act specifically as I wish, for I have several reasons for this, and I also know that all the goodness of this world, as mentioned above.

431

Anyone who wants to sleep but cannot, the advice for this is not to force oneself too much to sleep. For whatever one forces oneself to sleep more, the more it increases one's obstacles to sleep. And this matter is true in all matters in the world: one should not force oneself too much. For whatever one forces oneself to do in a particular matter, the more it causes the opposite effect. Even in the service of God, one needs sometimes not to force oneself too much. Although it is truly necessary to be very zealous to sanctify oneself properly and to merit the service of God in completeness with great swiftness, and it is forbidden to delay even for a moment, for the world does not stand even for a blink of an eye, and therefore whatever one can overcome to perform any matter in the service of God should be done immediately, without delay. For who knows how many obstacles and delays and thoughts one will encounter in the next moment, since a person’s world consists only of that moment and that instant alone. Even so, sometimes, when one sees that they are forcing themselves and it is not succeeding, one should wait and not be disheartened or confused by this, and not be bewildered by the fact that they are not succeeding in that matter. And they should wait a bit until its time comes. It is impossible to explain this matter in writing completely. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, had a remarkable innovation in this matter because he was exceedingly swift in his swiftness, unlike any other. Whatever he needed to do, even in material matters that are the needs of a person, he did with extraordinary swiftness immediately, certainly, and certainly in the service of God. Even so, he was very patient when he saw that it was not succeeding. He was patient and patient. Only one should yearn and desire to serve God, blessed be He, always, even when the service of God does not succeed as desired. And one should not despair at all for any reason. And immediately, when God, blessed be He, helps, he will be able to swiftly accomplish any matter of holiness immediately with great swiftness. It is impossible to explain this matter in writing. And the perceptive person who truly desires will understand from this some advice for the service of God.

432

Rabbi Nachman said that if a teacher pressures a child too much, the child does not understand at all. A teacher needs to be very skilled in teaching a child step by step, without too much pressure or coercion. Only then will the child learn more easily. He explained that if a teacher repeats with the child many times using terms such as "remember, remember" in Ashkenazi pronunciation (e.g., “Zikhr, zikhr”), and if the teacher repeats this gently, the child will definitely grasp the material better and will be able to recall it when asked about the meaning of the text. This is because the child believes that these terms are the actual language of the text. Excessive pressure confuses the child completely and makes it impossible to clarify the matter, which is clear to the wise. Therefore, it is crucial for teachers to avoid pressing too hard on any matter, only to advance step by step and gently. An example of this was when a child was brought by his father to our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, and the Rabbi taught him the entire method, emphasizing that when given a text to recite, the child should say "Sabrie" (our teacher) and similar phrases. The Rabbi repeated this many times so that the child would remember well and not be confused. Later, when the child came to the Rabbi and began to recite, he was unable to say anything correctly and was very confused. The Rabbi then told the father that they had certainly taught him too much and had made things too difficult, and if they had not repeated so many times, the child would have been able to recite properly.

433

Regarding the issue of tuberculosis (hust), he wanted to raise the level of blood during the time of tuberculosis but was unable to. He did not force himself to do this excessively. Later, at a light moment, he was able to raise the level of blood easily and I stood before him. He replied and said that even from this, it can be seen that it is impossible to force oneself excessively in any matter. Initially, he could not raise the level of blood, but he remained calm and did not force himself to do it exactly, and later it happened by itself. He signaled with his sacred gestures that this is how it is in any matter, that one does not need to press excessively for things to be exactly as one desires, even in spiritual matters. It is only if one can do something immediately, it is very good to do it precisely right away, because in spiritual matters, it is forbidden to delay even for a moment. One should hasten to do it with great urgency immediately and precisely. But if one still cannot do it right away, let not his thoughts trouble him. He should remain calm, rest, and await the help of God, and lift his eyes to heaven, perhaps he will be granted success in this. According to our Rabbi, blessed be His name, He will help him to complete what he wants with ease. This issue involves many sacred discussions, but it is not possible to fully clarify it in writing.

434

When I had written before him the first Aleph-Bet book, and he would read to me from it from his writings, I would write in the book with my pen. The process continued for a long time, as at first I had written for him only a bit, approximately half a Bogdán [Gilyon], and afterwards, there was no opportunity to write for him, and it continued for approximately three or four months. Then I wrote for him a little more. Afterwards, the matter was discontinued for about two years. And once, before Chanukah, I was delayed in Breslov for about three weeks, and then I wrote for him the entire Aleph-Bet. And then I wrote for him every day, several hours at a time, until it was completed completely. And the matter was very burdensome for him, but out of his love for Israel, he dedicated himself to everything that had merit and goodness for the inclusion. And once, I wrote for him almost the entire day, and then, in the evening, he answered and said, “Come to account with me for that day, what we did with it.” And he said, “Did we not pray, and did we not also learn a bit, and then we wrote?” And also, this is considered learning; that is, what is written in the words of Torah is also considered learning. And he said then, “Everything that I need to do, I am very eager to do it and to complete it immediately, and not to delay it for another time.” And he said, “If it were possible to complete writing the Aleph-Bet book in one day, I would be very eager to do that.”

And regarding this matter, there are several conversations that are very necessary on how he was swift in everything, and in every matter that was needed and necessary, he was very quick to do it immediately, without delay, even in mundane matters, so that he would not need to confuse himself with it afterwards. For if he did not do it immediately, he would not know if he would ever do it again. For afterwards, he would not want to confuse his mind at all about this. For his mind was always attached to what he needed for the service of the Name. Therefore, he desired in every necessary matter to do it immediately, even in mundane matters, so as to complete it right away, without delay at all. And even if it was necessary to learn or to engage in the service of the Name, and a matter that was necessary to do came to him, even though this matter was not something of holiness per se, nevertheless, after it was necessary to do this thing, he was accustomed, according to his rabbi, to exempt himself in advance to do it promptly, so that his mind would be free afterwards. But if it was not possible to do it immediately, he would not confuse his mind at all about it. Only if it was possible to do it afterwards, the next day or at another time, he would do it, and if not, not. And he was never troubled or confused at all about anything in the world.

And it is impossible to explain such matters in writing at all.

435

When he set me to persist in learning and commanded me and set large study periods for me every day and warned me that every day I should see to speak with people and have some conversations and stories to keep my mind vigilant. And even though the day was not enough for me to finish the lessons that he commanded me, nevertheless, he said that it was necessary to keep my mind vigilant every day by talking with people for some time during the day. And already it is explained elsewhere that talking with people is like sleep, which is beneficial for the mind. Also, afterwards he told me that even within the learning itself, it is necessary sometimes to pause and rest to keep the mind vigilant, to allow the mind to be free for some time, so that it does not come to think evil thoughts or wicked thoughts, Heaven forbid. And then his holy will was that I should complete all the four tables set for the year in one year. And he set for me a period to learn five pages every day, and thus I accomplished this for about half a year, and I completed all the "Arakh Chaim" with the Magen Avraham and the Turim Zahav and the Yoreh De'ah until close to its end. Afterwards, the impediments and confusions overwhelmed me very much, and I could not learn every day the aforementioned lesson. And then he commanded me to learn Kabbalah, etc., and then the completion of the four tables continued for some more years, and I was pained by this. Once, I spoke with him about this, and he said comforting words to settle my mind. He answered and said, “Is this not the matter? It is only with us that we want to complete everything quickly, but with the world, they can pass three or four years in vain and nothing will be borne from their labor.” And his holy intention was concerning the aforementioned matter that it is impossible to rush the time in any way. Even though his will was very much to complete it immediately, nevertheless, if he saw that it was impossible, and the confusions increased greatly, Heaven forbid to become confused about this. Only to do patiently what is possible, and to wait and hope for the salvation of the Lord until it is completed. And indeed, I have already written about this above several times that it is impossible to explain these things in writing, nevertheless, I have written a little about it. For he who truly desires will understand from this advice and encouragement for the service of the Blessed Name to be very swift in everything related to the service of the Blessed Name, and nevertheless, he will not rush the time. Certainly, he will not become confused at all, Heaven forbid, due to this, and he will lengthen his patience to wait and wait and wait until the Lord will look and see from Heaven. And praise be to the Lord, in His great kindness, He has enabled me many such matters, and still I stand and await the salvations of the Lord. The Lord should complete it for me.

[#436-443] The Benefits of Hitbodedut/Isolated Communion With God

436

When Rabbeinu z"l told me about Hitboddedut and having a personal conversation with His Creator, I raised the objection, "But doesn't a person have free will?" He did not respond explicitly but [gestured etc.], "Still, nevertheless; so what?" - meaning that even though it's impossible to completely explain the thing to you, still it's something a person needs to do. So then I could already raise no more questions about it, because I knew that this difficulty is something one could ask about all the prayers that our Rabbis z"l organized for us, regarding Teshuvah and drawing close to Hashem Yitbarakh, such as "Hashiveinu" etc.

437

From another follower's notes: He said it's good that a person should declare when he goes to do his personal Hitbodedut with His Creator, "Today I'm just starting to cling to You." Each time he should make a new beginning, because the continuation of every thing always follows its beginning. Even rationalists say that beginning any thing is like half the work. So no matter how you look at it you should always make a new start and say like above. Because either way, if before it was good then now it will be even better, and if God forbid before it was not good then he definitely has to make a new start.

438

One time when he was talking with us he was talking a lot about how great and lofty a thing is Hitboddedut. He was utterly extolling the praise of this practice. And he said he can't order people to practice it more than an hour [a time period] a day, only because it's impossible to burden them more than that - but the truth is that they should be in Hitboddedut all day long. He was talking about this intensely, and many fine and beautiful talks were heard out of his holy mouth about Hitboddedut being higher than anything and everything else. And he said, can you silence a gun so that it doesn't shoot? - for speech has an enormous power; understand this well. He continued this talk all day long. Fortunate is anyone who maintains this!

439

On his last Rosh Hashanah in Uman his grandson the sage the guardian of Yisrael, the son of his eminent son-in-law our teacher Rav Yitzchak Aizik of Kremenchug. His grandson was still a little boy, three or four years old, and Rabbeinu obm's sickness was very hard for him, for it was close to his passing. He called out to this grandson Yisrael, "Pray for me to Hashem Yitbarakh, that I be restored to my health." He replied, "Give me your tzaygerl (watch) and I'll pray for you." Rabbeinu obm answered, "You see? He's already a guter yid (a tzaddik), because he's demanding I give him something so that he'll pray!" And he gave it to him. The boy took the watch and went his way, and said in these words, "Gott, Gott, laz der zayde zayn gizund/ God, God, let Grandpa be well!" People standing there started laughing. Rabbeinu obm responded, "That's how we ought to ask of Hashem Yitbarakh. How could we pray to Hashem Yitbarakh any other way?" Meaning, that's the essence of praying to Hashem Yitbarakh: with total simplicity, like a infant to his father, like a man talks to his friend.

440

He said that when doing Hitboddedut if you can't do anything else but just say "Ribboinoi Shel Oilum" - this is also good. He said you can tell if another person does Hitboddedut.

441

Rabbeinu obm prescribed for one person that he do Hitboddedut once in the day and once at night. One time Rabbeinu obm asked another of his followers if he usually sighs and groans (krekhsin in Yiddish) during Hitboddedut and he said yes. Then he asked him if he sighs and groans from the depth of his heart, and Rabbeinu obm said, "When I make a sigh or groan - if I'm holding the table during the sigh, after that I'm unable to lift my hands off the table and I have to wait a while till I get my strength back!" One time Rabbeinu obm grasped the Rav, Rebbe Shmeul Aizik against his heart and told him, "Because of a little blood like this?" - meaning, inside the heart - "you should lose this world and the coming world?! So you should regularly do a lot of groaning until you relieve it and subdue the bad that's in it, and attain the aspect of (Ps. 109:22), "My heart is empty inside me." One time Rabbeinu obm was talking with Rabbi Yaakov Yosef regarding Avodat Hashem like he always does, and he told him the parable of the kind that sent his son to far off places to learn some Chokhmot, sciences. Later the prince came to the king's palace having properly learned all the sciences. One time the king ordered his son to take very large rock big as a millstone and lift it up and carry it to the top of his palace. Of course this prince couldn't carry or lift this rock, because it was an extremely big and heavy rock, so the son was very sad he couldn't perform his father's wish, until the king revealed to him his intention afterwards and told him, "Do you really think I would order you such a difficult thing, to take the rock as it is and carry and lift it? Could you even do such a thing, by using your great intelligence? So no that's not what I meant at all, rather what I meant is that you take a strong hammer and smash the rock in smaller pieces and thereby you'll be able to bring it up to the top." That's how Hashem Yitbarakh commanded us to "raise our hearts in our hands up to the sky" while our heart is "a heart of stone." It's a very big and heavy stone and it's absolutely impossible to lift it up to Hashem Yitbarakh by any means except by taking a hammer and breaking the stone heart, and then we can lift it up. And the hammer is your speech. That's the end of the parable. Understand it. One time Rabbeinu obm said we need to be very busy with saying Tehillim, supplications, prayers, Hitboddedut, etc. And the Rav Rebbi Yudel obm asked him, "How do you win the heart?" [What he meant was, How do your words manage to stir the heart?]. Rabbeinu obm answered him, "Tell me any tzaddik that you heart was inspired by - the main thing that did it was the words from his mouth." What he meant was, say lot of supplications and prayers with your mouth, and the inspiration will happen automatically.

442

To one of the great scholars of his time, may his memory be blessed, it was commanded in his youth by the aforementioned scholar that during moments of solitude he should speak extensively in detail with every part of his body and explain to them that all bodily desires are vanity. For this is the end of every person, to die, and the body will return to the grave, and all the organs will decay and decompose, and so on, and other similar statements. And he conducted himself in this manner for a period of time. Later, he reported to our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, and apologized before him for the fact that his body did not listen and did not feel any of his words and arguments with it. Our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, told him to strengthen himself in this matter and not to let his hand slack from it and to see afterward what will come of these words. He listened to his advice and adhered to his words until he merited afterward that every organ and limb that he had spoken with in detail was drawn after his words to such an extent that the vitality completely left him, leaving him without strength and sensation at all. And this was perceived with feeling in the external limbs such as his fingers and toes, and similarly, the internal organs upon which vitality depends, such as the heart, and so forth, needed him to greatly restrict his words so that the vitality would not completely depart from him, Heaven forbid. And I heard that once this person spoke with his followers about how this world is nothing and what is the ultimate purpose of all bodily matters and so forth, as mentioned above, and during his words he fainted and began to die [and in Ashkenazi terms, he was left weakened] and with great efforts until he revived and his vitality returned. And he said then that he had merited through the sanctity of our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, to a level such that whenever he mentioned himself well from the fear of punishment and the end and the purpose of all matters of this world, he would then feel every one of his organs, even the smallest finger of his foot, as if it were already lying in the grave and decomposing, etc., to the point that he needed great fortitude to sustain his vitality within him so that his soul would not completely depart, Heaven forbid.

443

And I heard in the name of our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, that he also said to several other people that because your body is very thick, strong, and robust, therefore [you need to feed it] with holy words about the ultimate purpose and so forth. And it is self-evident that one must also speak to oneself about many matters related to strengthening oneself, so that one does not completely slack off, Heaven forbid. And as mentioned in the hymns and verses of our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, and in many places from his teachings, may his memory be blessed. And just as we say every morning: "What are we, what are our lives," etc., except for the soul, etc., but we are Your people, etc., fortunate are we, etc., as mentioned in his words, may his memory be blessed, in Likutei Tenyana, Siman 125, see there.

[#444-615] His Devotion to Hashem

444

Once, he spoke to me, and he wanted somewhat to make me the head of a court in some community. I asked him because I have a deep, dark fear and many concerns regarding rulings of prohibition and permissibility, and I am very afraid of the matter of giving rulings. He replied to me, "What is there to worry and be anxious about, since you have someone to rely on? You have no reason to be afraid at all. The explanation is that since there is a valid opinion, and you rely on that opinion, there is no need to be afraid anymore at all." [The copyist added: "This is simple; that on an opinion that is not accepted for halacha, certainly one should not rely. Rather, his intention was to say that there is no need to worry excessively about this matter."]

445

There were several people who came before him who were seriously ill, and he saw that they were bound to die. He would speak to their hearts: "What do you have to worry about death? Isn’t the next world much more pleasant than this one?"

446

Once, we stood before him on the first day after Shabbat Nachamu, 5659, and they brought a dead person before the windows of his house. They were walking behind him, crying and eulogizing him as is customary in the world. He responded and said: "The dead is certainly rejoicing in his heart that they are crying after him. For they are crying because he has departed from this world as if they are telling him, 'Wouldn’t it have been better if you had lived longer in this world, endured more troubles in this world, and had more bitterness of the world?' I asked him whether there is no rest from suffering even there, since there was no great tzaddik who did not suffer any torment of Gehenna or grave punishment. Even so, is there suffering there as well?" He answered: "At all times, there will be an end to suffering and distress. He will endure what he must, and afterward, he will be rewarded with what he accomplished in this world, some reward in the World to Come, for his good deeds." I then asked him if there are reincarnations, and perhaps he would need to reincarnate once more in this world, and if so, what was accomplished by his passing away now from the troubles of this world. He replied: "If he desires, he can insist and claim that he does not want to reincarnate in any way, and to continue this world once more. I asked him if it would be beneficial if he does not wish to reincarnate. He answered: 'Certainly, it would be beneficial if he insists and claims, ‘Do with me what you will here and conclude and finish here as you wish, but in this world, do not return to reincarnate, Heaven forbid.’ Certainly, he can accomplish this. And I repeated and asked him several times if it would be beneficial. He said that certainly, it would be beneficial if he is strong in his will to claim so. I took this seriously, and I bound myself strongly to remember it well. Perhaps I will merit to remember it in the World to Come and to claim so before the heavenly court so that I may be saved from reincarnations. For how would it be with me, Heaven forbid, if I do not know in what manner they will lead me? Nevertheless, on all fronts, it is better to avoid reincarnation, Heaven forbid, and to be, Heaven forbid, in a great danger of the vanities of this world, Heaven forbid. May the Blessed Name grant us now to return in complete repentance before Him, according to His good will, in that time mentioned above when we stood before him on the above-mentioned day. At that time, he commanded me to repeat the Torah he said in the winter, which was transferred on Shabbat Parashat Yitro, before our old friend, our teacher Rabbi Yitzchak Segal, son-in-law of the Maggid of Tiritzovitz. The Torah that begins 'There are righteous people hidden' in Likutei Tenyana, Siman 32. And he commanded me to return and recite this Torah before the above-mentioned person while we are still standing before him. And I was compelled to do so, and I recited all this Torah to our teacher Rabbi Yitzchak, the aforementioned, and other people who stood there, and everything was before him. Afterward, he responded and said: 'You embellish it and elevate it. Is there anyone like this before the Blessed Name, a person who searches and seeks so diligently in the Torah like me?' And he further spoke in pleasant and clear words, greatly extolling the merit of his holy Torah."

447

A parable concerning the warning to pray for the troubles of one's friend, which I heard in the name of Rabbi Yudl, who heard from the holy Rabbi Yudl. The parable is about a king who distanced his son from himself. [The copier said: I heard from Rabbi Yitzchak Dov from Tirtza and Uvitz that Rabbi Yudl recounted this parable regarding the aforementioned matter, and as it appears that the parable was intended by the author, blessed be his memory, thus I saw fit to present it here, and this is what I heard.] Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, said to Rabbi Yudl that it is a remedy for greatness to pray for the troubles of one's friend. Rabbi Yudl asked him: "On the contrary, it seems to me that I will gain greatness by praying for my friend, as I must be more significant than my friend."

Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, responded with a parable: There was a king who was angered with his son and distanced him from himself. Afterward, the son went and appeased his father and was readmitted. After some time, the son again sinned before his father, and the king expelled him from his presence. The son then went and appeased him once more, and so it was that the son repeatedly came before the king, and whenever he sinned, he was expelled, but when he appeased the king, he was readmitted.

Once, the son sinned greatly before his father, and the king was very angry. The king thought: "What is the ultimate goal? If I expel him, the anger will eventually dissipate, and he will come and appease me again. I do not want that; I only want to expel him in a manner that he will no longer be able to come and appease me."

What did the king do? He appointed one of his ministers to stand between him and the son, and instructed the minister that when the son comes to appease him, the minister should not allow him to come near. And so it was that the son came many times, and the minister did not permit him to come to the king to appease him. The minister observed the great longing the son had for his father and the immense suffering he experienced from not being able to come before his father, even to appease him. The minister reasoned that if the son yearned so greatly for the king, then surely the king also experienced great suffering from being separated from his son.

The minister thought that surely the king must also be experiencing great suffering because the son is unable to come before him. For according to the intensity of the longing of the desirer, so it arouses great longing in the desired. And the minister had great compassion for them and also felt great suffering, as he thought that he was the cause of this separation and suffering, being the barrier between the king and the son, causing suffering to both the king and the prince.

The minister decided that there must be some plan by which the son could be reconciled with the king, for the king would not make a decree that the son should always suffer and never be able to come before him. Therefore, the minister himself went to the king to request that he forgive the prince and bring him back to his place. The minister went to the king and told him of the prince’s great yearning and requested that the king forgive him. Immediately, the king was appeased and brought the prince back to his original place.

The parable is self-explanatory: when someone has certain sufferings, whether physical or spiritual, it is necessary to understand that this is definitely due to my own sins and that I am the barrier separating him from the Holy One, blessed be He, who always desires to bestow goodness upon His children. I am the barrier preventing this. The essence of the advice is that I should personally go to the king and request on behalf of my friend, and certainly this will lead to greatness, as the essence of greatness is that someone who is proud of himself over his friend actually possesses some merit that his friend lacks. But when one considers what is lacking in his friend, this merit, whether physical or spiritual, is merely due to the fact that I am the barrier separating him from the Holy One, blessed be He, who always desires to bestow goodness. Therefore, this will break the pride and lead to true humility. I also heard from the aforementioned person who heard in the name of our holy Rabbi that he recounted a parable regarding how one should speak with people with fear of Heaven and this is it.

Once, there was a great wealthy man who had many thousands and myriads. The wealthy man made a proclamation and said that anyone who needed a loan should come to him, and he would lend him. Many people came to him and borrowed money. The wealthy man had a ledger of all these loans. Once, the wealthy man took the ledger in his hand and began to examine it and saw that he had lent out a large amount of money with no one coming to repay him. He must have been very troubled by this and was distressed.

Among the borrowers was a person who had borrowed money from the wealthy man and had lost it in some business transaction and could not repay his debt. This person also experienced great suffering because he could not repay his debt. The wealthy man thought that he should meet with the wealthy person and explain his situation, as he was forced by the circumstances.

448

I heard in his name from the Rabbi of Breslev that once he was on the road and prayed the morning prayers and fell on his face on his right side as is the custom now. And Rabbi Saadiah Gaon came to him and said that even in the morning prayers one should fall on the left side.

449

He said to someone about what he had told him, that he was accustomed to major sins until he almost had no control over himself to refrain from doing them. He responded that there is a concept of connecting oneself through strong attachment, and by this one can overcome and be saved. He did not elaborate on the matter. Nevertheless, it is possible to understand the matter somewhat, and it is an extraordinary advice.

450

In the year 5601, after the weeks, he told this story: One of our people had been walking for several years with the thought of the World to Come and wanted to speak with him about it but could not find any words. And who would know about this, who is the prophet who knows his thoughts. And he had been walking with this thought for several years. In the weeks of that year, and he was here during those weeks, and during the weeks he dreamed that two men came, and it seemed that one was the principal and the other was not the principal, but because of the principal one, the other one also came. And I asked them what they were doing here, and the principal one replied that the man from our people forced him to swear on a Torah scroll with his hand that he would come here and swear to him, and the principal one told me that the man from our people came now with the thought that he had been walking with. Afterward, when the man from our people came to me to receive permission before his departure as is the custom, I told him about the thought he had been walking with, and his soul was very elated, and he was filled with joy that I had understood his thoughts.

451

I found a handwritten note from the friends saying that it is better to speak with one's friend about the matters of serving the Creator because, just as wine elevates the heart, as it is written: "Give strong drink to him who is perishing and wine to those who are bitter of soul," so too, the things one speaks about with his friend elevate a person's heart, as it is written: "Anxiety in the heart of a man causes it to bow down." And our sages, may their memory be blessed, have interpreted it as speaking to others. And just as drinking a little wine elevates the heart, and drinking a lot of wine makes one drunk and laid on his bed, so too, the things one speaks about, if they contain any truth, even though they may have some embellishment and greatness, they still elevate the heart. But if the matters contain no truth at all and are merely filled with embellishment and greatness, and when one departs from them, he commits all kinds of sins and lusts, these matters do not elevate the heart. Just like wine, when one drinks too much of it.

452

Hashem, Blessed be He, he said is always good [God is always good].

453

He said, “Just as you see me, I want to say that you certainly consider me a complete tzaddik. However, if I had committed a major sin, God forbid, even so, the sin would not affect me at all. I would still be a proper person, as before; only afterward, I would do teshuvah.”

454

He said: “There will yet come a time when a simple, righteous person will be a great novelty, like the Baal Shem Tov.”

455

Regarding the famous ones who are involved in falsehood and who are now sometimes perceived to be performing some act, such as when they come to people for the sake of children and similar matters, and afterward, the person is blessed with children and his request is fulfilled, then they attribute this to their own actions. He gave a parable: Just as a person traveling on the road encounters a wolf and fears it, he holds out his stick and does with it what people do with a firebrand that they call a “bik’s,” as if he wants to shoot the wolf with the stick so that the wolf will fear him. In the meantime, one person was using a genuine firebrand and killed the wolf, and it seemed to them that he had simply held out his stick and that was what killed the wolf. They do not realize that the wolf was killed by the genuine firebrand because, surely, they cannot kill the wolf with a stick. Thus, it is exactly the same with the false ones. There are truly righteous people in the world in every generation who perform everything through their prayers, and all matters are administered for the good through them. These false ones think they have accomplished this, and it is precisely like someone saying that he killed the wolf with his stick when, in truth, everything is accomplished only by the true tzaddikim because they perform everything and so forth.

456

In the year 5569 (1809), during the period of Bein HaMetzarim, his daughter Miriam traveled to the Land of Israel, and things occurred as they did. He recounted a dream in which someone came to him and asked him if he had heard any news. He replied that Michal was traveling to the Land of Israel. The person said to him, “What news is this, as it has already been heard?” He then began to bless his daughter, saying that she should pass safely to the Land of Israel, that she should cross the sea in peace, and that she should arrive peacefully in the Land of Israel. He blessed her with many blessings and said that the fact that he had been informed of this also alluded to something, for the name *Michal* (מיכל) is an acronym for the verse: “For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11).

457

Someone said that he had dreamt that his teeth had fallen out, which he took to be a sign that his wisdom would be nullified. I said to him: on the contrary, it indicates that your foolishness will be nullified, for the word *tooth* (*shen*) is interpreted as *strength*, as mentioned in Midrash Rabbah on Bamidbar, Parasha 3, “there is no *tooth* except in the sense of strength.” [This is meant humorously, for in our country, people call a fool *choizek* (strong one).]

458

He said: “Whoever is knowledgeable in the holy Zohar understands that all the words of the Zohar are unified, that is, to draw down abundance, to bring down the anointing of the Holy Master, and to connect the worlds. Sometimes it connects two matters, and sometimes two other matters, depending on the situation. There are several things that were received through tradition, passed down from one person to another. All the words of Kabbalah are received from one person to another, going back to Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him. They also had books, such as the *Sefer d’Rab Hamnuna* and others. There are also several things that they themselves revealed. Additionally, all the matters explained in the Zohar regarding numbers, such as in the discussions about the *Heichalot* and similar things, where the Zohar specifies a certain number of openings and the like, and it is very precise in counting numbers, like thousands, seventy, four, and the like. All this was based on the names of God that were passed down to them with certain rules and known study about this, such as the Name of 42 letters, and so forth. All these numbers mentioned in the Zohar correspond to that particular concept, which they knew was associated with this name or with general combinations of names, where sometimes the names are combined and connected, and according to the number of names and their combinations, those are the numbers mentioned.”

459

He already said: sometimes an illness, God forbid, comes into the world, and then it spreads from one person to another, which is called *Unter gang* (epidemic). There is a difference in this matter because sometimes an illness reaches someone from heaven directly, and sometimes it does not come directly to a person but is received, God forbid, from his friend. There is a distinction between them, because the one to whom the illness is sent directly has all the symptoms and specifics of that illness. For example, with an illness like the one called [nasal congestion], the primary symptom is a headache, but there are other symptoms as well, such as nose irritation, sneezing, and several other signs. Each of these signs is also a form of illness on its own. And someone who receives the illness directly, meaning that the illness originated with them and not from another person, will have the illness in its full form with all the details and symptoms. However, those who receive the illness from others do not experience the full illness with all its symptoms. And he spoke more about this matter...

460

In passing, I saw in his writings: one who does not have the strength of a man should recite *Shir HaShirim*, *Mishlei*, and *Kohelet* because they are considered the three drops, as explained in the *Tikkunim* (Tikkun 13, 29:). See there.

461

He said: a king is greater than a prophet according to the commandments of the Torah.

462

He once said: Yesterday, the Turkish ruler appeared to me in a dream and complained greatly about those who are fighting against him. I had great compassion for him, and in truth, he deserves compassion because he is still called by his original name, Ishmael. For no one knows who they are anymore, as they have become confused, but he still retains his original name. I gave him advice, and it seemed clear that he knew the advice as well, but he pretended not to know. He also once spoke about him and said: When they read on Rosh Hashanah, “And also the son of the maidservant will I make into a nation,” etc., it means that he certainly has great power since such things are said about him.

463

Concerning the well-known dispute that took place in the generations before us regarding the great rabbi, our teacher, Rabbi Yonatan, of blessed memory. Before our rabbi, of blessed memory, was the book in which the amulets given by the aforementioned rabbi were written. It was written on them "his servant, Mebiych'o." And those who opposed him explained that his intention was "his servant, his Messiah" — refer there for more details. Our rabbi, of blessed memory, discussed this with us and said that this is no proof. He further said that if he were to write amulets, people would surely interpret it negatively, particularly with regard to the phrase "his servant," [meaning they would certainly claim that his intention was not good, especially regarding "his servant," for how is it fitting to write "his servant" in names? Surely, they would explain his intention in the same manner as they interpreted before]. For the entire Torah consists of names. And the concept of the names by which one adjures, or asks and prays, saying, "May it be Your will," is that through these names, one arouses the angel responsible for that matter. Then they give the angel that name, for an angel does not have a name except for the one given according to its mission, as is known. Therefore, it is entirely fitting to write in adjurations the names "his servant, Mebiych'o," for this is an acronym of the verse "Noach found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8).

464

Regarding the story from Berdichev: They told him various stories about different types of people—rich men and others, including well-known individuals of today, etc. He responded and said, "If we were to combine all the stories about the different types of people found in Berdichev, along with all those famous righteous individuals (as mentioned), it would still amount to nothing." It is like a tree growing in an orchard or a field, where many other trees grow, and even on one tree, there are several variations. Some branches have withered leaves, and on some, the seed has rotted as a worm entered it. There are other branches where the fruit near the top has spoiled, and many other such changes and defects are found on a single tree—in its leaves, fruits, and the like. Nonetheless, the tree is still a tree, and all the more so, the entire orchard, which contains many trees. The parable is somewhat understandable to the wise, for although many corrupted things exist in the world today—some are entirely ruined, and some are somewhat upright, though they still have various defects, including the famous false ones—nonetheless, the holy tree is still a tree, and all the more so, the whole orchard, where many trees grow, meaning souls. For all the aforementioned are considered nothing, as in the given parable.

465

He said it was his desire that none of our people should become a teacher, and he spoke about this several times. He also said that it is better, in terms of livelihood, to live in a large city. He humorously remarked, "There is no person without a time, and there is nothing without a place." Thus, every person has their moment. And when engaged in business dealings, it is possible that at that specific time, which is "their time," they will make a great profit, for that time belongs to them. Therefore, it is possible that God, blessed be He, will send them great success in the business they are engaged in, and they will earn a large profit at that particular time.

However, if a person is a teacher, when their time of success arrives, the student brings them a good pastry or something similar, along with a bit of money for Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the month). And thus, their moment of success passes in such trivial matters. But another person, at their time, could earn a great profit, as mentioned.

Similarly, "there is nothing without a place." When a person lives in a large city, where there are many big businesses, it is possible for them to come across something significant and become wealthy, because that is their "place," for there is nothing without a place. However, in a small town, one might come across something minor or unimportant, offering less opportunity to earn, because everything depends on the place, for "there is nothing without a place," as mentioned.

466

Shabbat Chazon 5569, night. They were telling in his presence about the tremendous suffering and unusual deaths by people in Ostraha - God spare us - during the fires that were there the past erev Shabbat kodesh. He replied, "None of them suffered because of the Niggun, melody." Meaning, the niggun at the end of "Nesaneh Tokef" where they first sing in that known tune "Who will rest, who will wander..." ending in "who's cast down, and who's raised high," and after that they end with only a melody without words, before beginning "But Teshuvah, and Tefilah, and Tzedakah" like everyone knows. And that niggun that continues after "And who's raised high" also indicates some Gezerot, decrees, God forbid. Because first it describes explicitly several decrees, "Who rests, who's cast down" in that tune, and then the tune continues alone without words as if ending with hints of the rest by the tune alone without explicit words. And this tune generates decrees, God forbid, that are not explicitly stated in the poem "Unesaneh Tokef." Only, the Chazan hints them in that niggun alone as mentioned. This matter is clear to people that are versed in the niggunim of the Yamim Noraim.

467

Once, Rabbi Nachman was speaking about the prayers of the High Holidays. He said that initially, the *ba'al tefillah* (prayer leader) begins with the word "the King," and at that moment, he goes first, and the congregation follows him. For he says the word first, and then the congregation repeats after him, and this continues further. However, later, the *ba'al tefillah* looks within himself and questions, "Who am I to go ahead and precede the congregation?" Therefore, afterward, it switches, with the congregation saying the words first, followed by the *ba'al tefillah*. For example, in "Melech Elyon, Mighty and Exalted" and "So too, You are our God in Heaven and on Earth," and likewise in *Unetaneh Tokef* and in all the prayers, where the congregation says the poems and verses before the *ba'al tefillah*, and the *ba'al tefillah* follows them. But in the beginning, it was the opposite, as mentioned earlier, because he looks within himself, etc., as explained above.

468

He responded and said: "This is indeed great jealousy!" Certainly, there is a great *tzaddik* (righteous person) who toils in the service of God, with immense exertion and labor, for many years, both physically and spiritually, and he never rests from his service of the Blessed One. He endures many troubles and afflictions. Then, along comes a young individual, and in a short time, he attains the same achievements and spiritual levels that the aforementioned *tzaddik* attained after working for many years. Just as we find in the Midrash that Rabbi Bun worked for thirty years (or twenty-eight years) to achieve what another *tanna* (sage) accomplished in several years. [I do not know the intent of these words, for previously he said that it is impossible to suddenly become a great *tzaddik* without efforts, toil, and labors, even if one is the son of a *tzaddik* or comes from great lineage.] He then told a beautiful parable about a famous young man who suddenly became renowned. Certainly, not everyone who wishes to take the name (of a great person) may take it. The parable was about a man who grew up in Valihai under the Yedniral, who suddenly elevated him, and his intent was to provoke others who had greater authority, etc.

469

Regarding the conversation before Rabbi Nachman about a certain widower before Passover, he said that Pharaoh, too, was a widower, for he was left alone without his army, as not a single one of them remained. From his words, we understood that he revealed a hint to us: "*Not one of them remained*" (*lo notar echad mehem*)—the initials spell *almav* (widower). These matters are mysterious and concealed.

470

He said, nowadays the desire for wealth and worldly conduct, meaning the desire to have money and riches, and to rule the world with honor, is greater than the desires for adultery. We clearly see this, even with the frivolous people of the world, such as those involved in brokerage, who are called agents, and the like. They too make money their ultimate goal, sending all their earnings home to their wives to build an ultimate end. They no longer spend money on their lusts [as they used to], for now, this desire for wealth and ruling the world is greater than the above-mentioned lust.

471

Their love is meaningless. That is, the love between the wicked and the frivolous is worthless because it is not true love. Each person only seeks his own benefit and pleasure, and everything is for flattery. Each one is envious of the other. But the love between the righteous and those who fear God, especially the love between the tzaddik and his followers, cannot be measured. It is true, essential love, in the most genuine sense. The tzaddik loves his followers with a very great and immense love, genuinely desiring their welfare. If it were possible, he would give them all the good in all the worlds. Even in this world, he desires very much that they have every good, even though, in truth, this is not the most important thing, as the main good is the eternal welfare in the World to Come. Nevertheless, he desires their welfare in this world as well, that they should have all good things — houses with courtyards, gardens, and so on — to anger the wicked who possess these things. All the more so if he knew that they were praying with devotion and doing things that bring pleasure to God, he would certainly derive great delight and satisfaction from this. Likewise, the love of the followers for the tzaddik is also very great, as they too love him sincerely and genuinely.

And behold, for them, meaning the frivolous and the wicked, as well as for the nations of the world, their main goal is love and friendship, for this is their primary concern in the world. Nevertheless, they do not attain it, for they do not have true love at all. But the righteous and those who fear God, who merit to draw close to a true tzaddik, have true love, etc.

472

He warned us greatly not to accustom ourselves to smoking tobacco or sniffing snuff. He elaborated on this and said that it is fitting for a righteous person not to accustom himself to this, for it leads to idleness in Torah and prayer without any reason. It is something unnecessary altogether, and as for cleanliness, tobacco smoke is of no benefit at all. Especially for someone already accustomed to tobacco smoke, it certainly does not help him at all, for something habitual provides no benefit, as is evident to the senses. It is already explained in *Sichot HaRan* (Siman 30) that one should not trouble oneself excessively for the sake of cleanliness, except when one genuinely needs to relieve oneself, and apart from this, there is no need to focus on it at all.

He said about himself that although he was accustomed to smoking tobacco, he would never take the pipe in his hand before prayer. Throughout his life, he never smoked tobacco before prayer. Regarding sniffing snuff, he said it is harmful and distracts one even more from serving the Creator. For someone accustomed to it cannot go without it even for an hour, and it becomes a great distraction and idleness in the midst of Torah and prayer, especially when he runs out of snuff, as is known to those who are used to it. It is also difficult to quit tobacco once one is addicted to it. Therefore, it is very good and appropriate not to accustom oneself to these practices of smoking and sniffing snuff, for they are entirely unnecessary, only harmful, and distract a person from Torah and prayer, and so forth.

473

I found written by him that it is a mitzvah for everyone to write a Torah scroll for himself, especially a Torah scroll or sacred writings.

474

“Because you will lift up the head of the children of Israel” refers to the aspect of lifting up, “and they shall give each one a ransom” refers to the aspect of giving. Thus, it refers to the aspects of lifting up and giving.

475

I heard from Rabbi Yitzhak, the son-in-law of the Maggid of Mezeritch, that he heard from the holy mouth that one should be careful about immersion in a mikveh, because a mikveh is capable of saving from murderers.

476

The intention of the Shulchan (table) from his youth is that the word Shulchan in gematria corresponds to Klipah (shell), which is rejected with all inclusiveness. Thus, the Klipah should be rejected from the Shulchan, so that it does not absorb from the table. The gematria of Shulchan is 330. When someone needed healing, he would direct his table according to the gematria of healing (to Rifuah). The gematria of Shulchan is 340, as there are four types of kindnesses. The gematria of Shulchan is also Hashmal (electrum), which is the ten sefirot, i.e., Hashmal in gematria is 340, adding ten sefirot. The gematria of Shulchan is 342, for there are thirty-six lights of the countenance (of the King of life), as it is written, "In the light of the King's countenance, there is life."

477

Previously, before entering the land of Israel, one person asked him about children and he told him to give charity. He responded that he could not, and he said to him that he should have faith, for faith is as important as charity. As written about Abraham: “And he believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.” And he said that through faith one merits children, for faith in gematria is children, and thus it was that this man was blessed and had children.

478

It is said that the *Sefer Raziel* is not from Adam HaRishon (the first man), and it is not the book that the angel gave to Adam HaRishon. It does not have the power to save from fire. Indeed, it has already been proven that the book itself was burned, and he elaborated on this with clear proofs.

479

He said that through telling and magnifying the deeds of the righteous, which are wonderful and amazing, the judgment is sweetened, and kindness is extended. This is what magnifies the salvations of His King, meaning the Rabbinic kings. This means that by recounting and magnifying the wonders and salvations of the righteous, who are called kings, this brings about kindness for His Messiah. The Holy Name blesses those who recount and magnify these deeds. Additionally, I heard regarding the verse: "Arise, lift up the youth and hold your hand upon him, for I have made him a great nation." Also regarding the verse: "And God turned the people about by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea," and there are also several other teachings among the friends, which he mentioned before that were in the land of Israel. However, due to hearing from the holy mouth, he did not want the teachings mentioned before entering the land of Israel to be published. Even regarding those that have already been published, he insisted only on what was said after entering the land of Israel. He warned to write those, and he said that even his simple conversations after entering the land of Israel need to be written. Therefore, I did not want to copy them, even though according to our understanding, these teachings that were before entering the land of Israel are also wondrous of the Holy Name and are very high. For even before entering the land of Israel, there was a wondrous and very awesome new revelation. But who will come after the King and who can know its intention? It was his will that they should not be published. Nevertheless, I could not restrain myself and copied a few sections.

480

I heard personally from the holy mouth that when swallowing, the breath (referred to as the "air") is useful for cleanliness.

481

The moon comes at a certain time before the sun, because the sun primarily functions during the day and during the sun’s days, and it needs to function in the winter. During the long nights and the morning, the sun should prepare a garment for itself, and all the great and important tailors are called to make a garment for it. The small tailors also wanted to come and said that since they are not being called, they do not need to come. The small tailors came and responded that it is impossible to make a garment for it because it sometimes appears small and sometimes large, so it is impossible to determine its measure. The small tailors said that they would determine its measure and make the garment. They answered that if the great tailors cannot, how could you?

482

Once he spoke to me about humility and how it is the truth and so forth. He also spoke to me about not accepting rewards and said that despite this, it is necessary that I want something, and so forth. My intention was that these questions regarding humility and this matter were troubling me, and it is his blessed memory in his wondrous holiness that directed my thoughts. However, he did not provide any resolution or answer to this; rather, his discourse was as if to say that he knows all my thoughts that trouble my heart, but it is currently impossible to resolve all of this. I understood from his words that it requires only great effort in the service of the Holy Name, and much prayer and supplications. Then we will merit to understand the true ways of humility and also to serve the Holy Name without seeking reward. May it be the will that we quickly merit all this in truth and completeness.

483

Once there were troubles in a certain month when the moon was not visible, and it seemed that they did not sanctify it. Therefore, there was a general rule. Afterwards, our teacher, blessed be his memory, said that it is necessary to see to begin sanctifying the moon seven days in advance. He commanded to examine the decisors, and we saw that most decisors agree to sanctify it in advance according to the law, as stated in the Tur and Magen Avraham in Siman 366. And see Mishbetzot Zahav there. Once I was delayed in sanctifying the moon, and it was commanded to me that when I see it through the clouds, according to what it is, I should immediately sanctify it. The intention was not to be exacting on its stringencies at all, because once it is seen through the clouds as it is, it is a mitzvah to sanctify it. [The copyist said plainly that his intention was to say through thin and light clouds according to the law, and see in the Siddur Ya"b"t]

484

I heard from the holy mouth that he said that the evil inclination is a great force among those who learn, to come up with new ideas. That is, everyone wants precisely to come up with new rulings.

485

He said this language: [When one says a chapter of Tehillim well, it is like a tasty drink.]

486

He said that the world to come exists for us in this world when the Holy Name, blessed be He, helps us. Sometimes it is beyond imagination.

487

The righteous say that there is an error in delaying the time of prayer.

488

The gematria of “Kaf Kelah” is 300, which corresponds to the word “Shin” (ש), indicating that the groom was unsettled and wandering. There is a story related to this involving the groom, that when he left the wedding canopy, he wandered from house to house and from city to city, and so forth. I heard that this story was recounted in the name of the elderly righteous ones, as it was recounted in the name of our holy teacher, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, blessed be his memory, the Maggid of Meisharim from the Kodesh Ostrava community.

489

I heard that once someone came to him and said: “At this time, I had with me the minister of Greece and the minister of France, and they asked for me and inquired which of them would conquer. I answered them that the one who holds onto Israel more will conquer.”

490

A nine-year-old child was somewhat ill with a condition called "D’krot" (probably referring to skin lesions), and his father sent him to our teacher, blessed be his memory. He spoke with him at length and gave him excellent moral advice. The child had great fears, and our teacher, blessed be his memory, said to him: “Why are you afraid now? Remember the fear you will have when they lead you to the world to come and you will remain there alone. Everything will be separated from you, and you will be left alone among the dead. If you are afraid now to go out alone at night, what will you do then?” He also said many things about moral instruction and advised him on who would want to burn himself by himself. In other words, “When you sin, you are burning yourself with your own hands. For, in the end, you will receive your severe and bitter punishment. How can you not have mercy on yourself and yet you are burning yourself with your own hands?” Then he advised him with a remedy for his illness: that they should take dust pressed on the threshold and place it in a vessel over the fire until it becomes white and the dust is thoroughly heated, and then place the warm dust on the affected area to heal it. Afterward, the child grew up, and the words our teacher, blessed be his memory, spoke to him remained deeply impressed in his heart, and he still remembers them. Many more wonderful things and beautiful conversations our teacher, blessed be his memory, shared with the child, and the child recalls them and understands now how he was guided in his youth. Thus we see how our teacher, blessed be his memory, even considered the small children and wanted to instill in them the fear of Heaven, so that they would begin to educate themselves in the service of the Holy One, blessed be He, and also to remember them in his greatness, as it is written: “Train a child according to his way,” and so forth. He also spoke many times with the child about the subject of circumcision of the heart, which needs to be addressed, and so forth. I also heard from some people who were young in the days of our teacher, blessed be his memory, who told me many wonderful things and beautiful conversations they heard from him in their youth, and they still remember them and understand now how he used to hint to them things that would benefit them in their future.

491

In the year 5566 (1806), between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our Rabbi, of blessed memory, left the mikveh and said that at that time it was revealed to him from Heaven how the people of our peace should conduct themselves concerning fasts throughout their lives. He explained how many fasts each person should observe every year, and how and when they should fast. After a few good days, we each went to him individually, and he gave each of us a note indicating when we should fast. It was written on the note in his holy handwriting which specific things were to be done, but I did not know what was written, as he did not allow us to see inside the note. Only when I sat with him to receive my note concerning the conduct of my fasts did I see him sitting at the table with the note in front of him, but I did not know what was written inside it. He would sit and think deeply about the note, and he exerted himself greatly before I was privileged to hear from him which days of the year I should fast.

Then he revealed to me the days on which I needed to fast and commanded me to write them down on paper for remembrance. He warned me strongly to remember them and not to lose the note. He commanded that on Rosh Hashanah, before he would recite the Torah, when he was preparing himself to recite the Torah, we should take upon ourselves the fasts that he commanded us. Thus, on Rosh Hashanah, at the time of his preparation to recite the Torah, we would accept upon ourselves the fasts for the entire year. Anyone who would not fast on Rosh Hashanah should not fast at all. This was also how he instructed the other people of our peace regarding the fasts.

For everyone told me that he would sit with the note and would sit and ponder over it for an hour or so before giving each one the note concerning their fasts. We understood from his words that these fasts are precious things and very exalted practices. Fortunate are we to have received them, and the matter continued for about two years. After that, when he came from Lemberg, he commanded us not to fast at all. He said, “Does not one who is not worthy of being with me on Rosh Hashanah have no need to fast at all?” Thus, one who is worthy of being with me on Rosh Hashanah certainly does not need to fast at all, after being privileged to be with me on Rosh Hashanah. Understand this well and see in another place the merit of one who is privileged to be with me on Rosh Hashanah.

Then he said, “You do not realize at all what is being done with you, for initially I commanded you to fast, and afterward I commanded you not to fast, and so on.” This means that it was appropriate for us to understand a little of his greatness, for this is the matter that he commanded us to fast on specific days of the year. For each one, special days in his own way. This matter is certainly of great significance and a tremendous achievement, something that has not been heard of in earlier times, that a person should reveal to each one individually the conduct of fasts for all their days. And even though this matter is very great and significant, he was later elevated and achieved even more, so that according to the holiness of his level and the degree he attained afterward, we no longer need to fast, even the fasts he had revealed to us with the force of his holiness. And anyone who has some understanding of his greatness can understand a little of his greatness through this and comprehend.

He also said that if one of these days falls on Shabbat or on other days when fasting is not done, the fast should be postponed to a later day. He commanded me to be careful about these specific days to fulfill the commandment of tithes and to exert myself with all my strength in this mitzvah as much as possible. Even after he released me from the fasts, I spoke with him about the mitzvah mentioned, and he told me that I also need to be careful about this with all my strength, and even throughout the entire year, but especially during these specific months.

492

When the Rebbe [Rabbi Nachman] once gave someone a piece of clothing and said, "This piece of clothing was received by our Rebbe, may his memory be for a blessing," we used to think that it was meant to command us to undergo much suffering for many days of the year. But now we see that it is only a few days in the year. He replied, "Did not Elisha say to Naaman, 'Wash and be purified,' and he did not want to believe that through this simple act he would be healed? He said, 'Are not the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be purified?' And his servants said to him, 'My father, a great matter he spoke to you; do not do it even though he said to you, "Wash and be purified." ' And then he listened to his servants and washed in the Jordan seven times, and his flesh returned to him like the flesh of a young child, and he was purified.

So you think that you must specifically be told to heal you through weighty matters, and you do not believe that through something simple that I command you to do, you will have a complete healing, a true healing of the soul. This matter needs to be clarified many times, for sometimes a person refrains from doing something in holiness because of the heaviness or the many obstacles preventing him from doing it, and he does not manage to overcome them. And sometimes the opposite happens, where he refrains from a matter of holiness due to its simplicity, as if the matter is very easy in his eyes to perform, and because of this he does not believe that his life is dependent on such a simple matter. Indeed, one must be cautious with a light commandment as with a serious one and lead a life of caution, lest you should find yourself lost, and all that you find within your power to do, do it with all your strength. For the essence of the obstacles and reasons that prevent a person is only the blockages that sometimes enter into a person's mind, making it seem very difficult to perform the task, and because of this, he wishes to avoid it. And sometimes the opposite, where he makes it seem insignificant and diminishes it in his eyes until it does not occur to him that his life is dependent on this, and all this is to prevent him from performing it, heaven forbid. And sometimes this reason is greater than an actual obstacle. But one who walks in innocence will walk securely and will not consider any obstacle or confusion in the world in general. And all that you find within your power to do, do it with all your strength."

493

Regarding the questions that people usually ask, they often pose many questions to the righteous, especially to him, and answer and say in a clear manner: "Is it not through the questions that are asked of us that we have sustenance and wealth? For the wealth and sustenance of the righteous who are engaged in the Torah for its own sake come only through questions. For our Rabbis, may their memory be for a blessing, said, 'Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand, riches and honor.' They asked, 'In her right hand is length of days, but where are riches and honor?' And they answered, 'Certainly, length of days is in her right hand; certainly, wealth and honor are in her left hand.' It turns out that the wealth and honor of the righteous, who are engaged in the Torah for its own sake, come specifically through questions. For if our Rabbis, may their memory be for a blessing, had not asked such questions, there would be no wealth and honor for the righteous, as the simple meaning of the verse seems to indicate that in her right hand is only length of days. But through the questions that were asked, we find that length of days is present, but wealth and honor are not. Through this, the wealth and honor for the righteous are drawn as you will see in the further explanation, certainly wealth and honor. It turns out that the wealth of the righteous comes specifically through questions, as the essence of wealth and honor for the righteous comes through questions."

494

"Even though these things were said in a manner of humor that is called *tzetlik* [a small humorous note], in truth, they contain great depth and a very deep secret. For all his words, even the words of humor that he calls *tzetlik*, contain profound, awesome, and very deep secrets. Even a simple person with a little true intelligence can understand from them some wonderful and terrifying hints [see Likutey Moharan, Part 1, Siman 12, and Likutey Halakhot, Talmud Torah, Halakhah 3, and you will understand some of these playful words]."

495

"And it has already been told that the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, once said that the *tzetlik* brings joy even in the World of Atzilut. That is, it brought joy even in the World of Atzilut to the extent that they also laughed there because of his *tzetlik*."

496

"Once, when they were speaking before him about greatness, he answered and said: 'Why do you need to speak about greatness? Do you not know that I have no greatness?' [Meaning: How could you think that there is any greatness in me, when even I have no greatness?] For our Rebbe, of blessed memory, already glorified himself by saying that he has no greatness, which is the essence of true humility, similar to Moses, our Rebbe, who wrote about himself, 'And the man Moses was very humble' (Numbers 12:3), as mentioned in the Gemara where Rav Yosef said, 'Do not attribute humility to someone who has it.']"

497

"He greatly valued someone who merited to see him in a dream, even during his lifetime. He said that there are people among his followers who see him in a dream in the form of an elderly, great man. He said that if we were righteous people according to his will, we would be able to hear from him great and terrifying words in a dream. The main thing is to ensure that what one sees and hears in a dream should not be forgotten, for sometimes what is seen and heard in a dream is forgotten later. [This is because the matter is taken and lost in its return, as mentioned in the Zohar HaKadosh.]"

498

His holy discussion has already been described [Sichot Haran #30] wherein he cautioned that a man should not disconcert his mind at all with the concept of cleanliness and should not look at this at all. And he said, in the name of big doctors, that is its better for the health of one's body when he is slightly constipated. Even though the ancient doctors were always saying that one needs to have loose stools, and also for every illness they were saying to open up the orifices — but now their research has led them to conclude the exact opposite, that it is just the reverse, better for one's bodily health to be slightly constipated. And especially an ill person, it is better for him to be slightly constipated, specifically. And he said, in their name, that whoever needs to void himself once per day, this too is a weakness, for it is better that [his bowels] should be opened no more than one time in two days. Only if occasionally the man is constipated many days, God forbid, then something needs to be done for him to open his bowels. But one time in two days is better for the body's health. And he told a great deal about this and made his holy opinion clear that he favors this opinion. At any rate a man should not waste any time at all for "cleanliness," as his holy talk about this is explained at length in the books which have been printed.

499

"Once, he spoke about the aspect of trust and said that there are righteous people who do not leave money with anyone from day to day, like the great righteous people who were before us, such as the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, and the holy righteous Rabbi Elimelech, of blessed memory, and similarly among them. Every day they would distribute all the money they had and would not keep any money from day to day with anyone. He said that one needs to have a great perspective to be strong in trust and to stand firm because if one errs in this, it will cause a slight movement in the world that is not good. However, there is a higher and more profound advantage, meaning that the true righteous person will hold on to money, and this is more difficult. This is because this service is higher and more difficult, and the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, did not behave in this manner. He said that this is more difficult and heavier many times. He demonstrated and clarified before us that the patriarchs used to hold on to money. For Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all exceptionally wealthy. And Jacob, our father, when he came to Shechem, bought immediately a piece of land for a field. Where did he have such a large amount of money? And similarly, Abraham, when he purchased the Cave of Machpelah. He also explains further from the verses and midrashim that they had money in their possession. He said that this work is higher and more difficult for the greatest of the true righteous who are exceptional in their high level."

500

"However, he spoke a lot with us about the praise of the first conduct mentioned above, namely, distributing money every day for charity and for necessary needs, and not leaving any money with anyone from day to day. For simple people who want to merit their souls to follow the ways of the righteous, this first conduct is certainly good for them. That is, not to leave any money with anyone from day to day. He praised this conduct and elaborated on this discussion. According to his words, it was clear that he desired and longed for us to achieve this holy conduct to the level of trust mentioned above, without leaving any money with anyone from day to day."

501

"He has previously expressed his strong desire for us to have a livelihood. Even though trust is also very good, it is still much better to have a stable livelihood. For in the realm of trust, if one has no livelihood and is confused about it, he will need to constantly strengthen himself in the attribute of trust. In this case, he will engage in another kind of work and in strengthening himself in other areas of divine service, and one should understand this. Nevertheless, he said that the essence is trust, and he said in this language: ‘The essence is trust.’"

502

"He said, ‘I do not know how the receivers request, and do not let us be dependent on gifts of flesh and blood, since all their livelihood comes from what the receivers receive from others.’ The implication of his words was that there is a service and wisdom in how to receive money, and all his livelihood should come from what he receives. Nevertheless, he should not be a receiver at all, nor should he need to rely on gifts of flesh and blood, God forbid. We need to ask of the Blessed Name to merit this wisdom and not need to rely on gifts of flesh and blood, God forbid."

503

"I heard in his name that he said that through the distribution that is given to a person, they do him a favor. For through this, he can grow and flourish, like when a seed is planted in the earth. If the whole earth was compacted together, it would not be possible for the seed to grow into a tree. It is necessary for the earth to be somewhat divided so that there is space for the tree to grow. Similarly, through the distribution given to a person, it provides him with space to grow and flourish."

504

"Regarding the expansion of human greatness, he said that when a person acts in this way with his own hands, it is manifested in all worlds. And when he acts in this way with his own hands, it is manifested in all worlds."

505

"He said that if they could transform a person [meaning to see his inner self], they would see that in every limb and joint of his body, there are thousands upon thousands and millions upon millions of worlds hanging."

506

"Once, I spoke with him about many confusing thoughts that troubled me regarding dark matters in the performance of mitzvot, such as in the matter of washing hands, where I had concerns that greatly confused me. He responded to me, 'I have already spoken to you about this, that you should not focus on it, etc.' I spoke with him many more times about similar matters, and I also told him that even this in itself confuses me, etc. He responded to me, 'Do not start thinking at all.' And this is a wondrous piece of advice for everything, for as much as thoughts confuse a person, the more one tries to reject them in any way, the more they confuse him. The main advice is not to start thinking about them at all and to completely remove one’s mind from them, and to engage in his own work in whatever he is occupied with."

507

"Once, he spoke about the sideburns that have curls [referring to curled sideburns] and did not reveal anything specific about it. However, I understood some hints from his words. Now I recall what was mentioned then from the verse: 'His curls are curls,' and he said that this refers to the mentioned aspect."

508

"He said that when a person struggles in his prayer and cannot pray, he is then obligated to say the words with complete simplicity, 'The great, mighty, and awesome God' with complete simplicity, without any vitality or enthusiasm whatsoever, and to say thus a few phrases and matters. If he merits, he can then awaken afterward to great enthusiasm through this. Therefore, for simple people who want to pray with heartfelt intention, they need to hesitate in their prayer because it becomes for them many matters in prayer, with many ups and downs in one prayer. At first, he struggles to pray with intention, and sometimes, according to the sage, he cannot pray with intention, and then he is obligated to say with complete simplicity, 'The great, mighty, and awesome God' and so on. Afterward, he can return and become enthusiastic at times and it is possible to do so several times in one prayer. And he then said before us, these words: 'The great, mighty, and awesome God' are like someone who speaks with weakness, in coldness, without any enthusiasm whatsoever, yet even so, his inner intention is connected to the words. And it is impossible to describe this in writing, but the understanding person can grasp advice from this in his prayer when he is unable to pray. He answered and said that if you cannot pray at all, if you merit, you will say some worthy words in truth in supplications and other requests. And if even this you do not merit, what can be done? Nevertheless, hope for God."

509

"Before the land of Israel, he said to the Rabbi here in Breslov, 'I love you very much, and therefore, I bless you that you should merit in the World to Come to understand my mundane conversations.'"

510

"My friend Rabbi Naftali once told me that he spoke with him about the mitzvah of tefillin and greatly elaborated on the sanctity of tefillin. He said that a person should be very enthusiastic about putting on tefillin, because tefillin are very holy and awe-inspiring, and it is appropriate that a great fear, trembling, and immense awe should fall upon a person when he is about to put on tefillin, whose sanctity is very exalted and high. He extended greatly on this topic.

I also understood from his words the very greatness of the sanctity of tefillin. He said that many of his teachings, all of which are very numerous, were all said about the mitzvah of tefillin, even though tefillin are not specifically mentioned there. Nevertheless, they were said in connection to the matter of tefillin. These are in the passages of the trumpets under section H. 'I am the Lord your God' under section D, 'Who is the man that desires life' under section Lamed-Gimel, 'Blessed are the people who know the sound of the trumpet' under section Lamed-Heh, and 'Pharaoh's chariots' under section Lamed-Chet—all of which are in the first collection of teachings.

Additionally, there are many other sayings that were said at those times, and all of them were said regarding tefillin. From this, one can estimate a little about how exalted and lofty is the sanctity of tefillin."

511

He said he knows of a sofer/scribe who is a hidden tzaddik. And Rabbeinu of blessed memory very much wanted us to have tefillin from him. And he said he wants to travel to him in person. And he got from him several pairs of tefillin, for one needs to travel to him cleverly so that he won't perceive they came to him for this, so they won't be caught God forbid in some side of pride, therefore he wanted to travel to him personally and he got from him several pair of tefillin, and to distribute to his followers, that we may all be privileged to lay his holy tefillin. And also before saying this he spoke with us several times that his wish is that we have good tefillin from a truly good sofer. So it seems from his words that that he did not mean the sofrim that are well known now, rather that he be a truly good sofer in earnest. And he spoke about this several times, about good tefilin as mentioned. Afterwards that person told said he knows a sofer etc. as mentioned. But in our many sins we did not merit to bring the thing to light and he did not reveal to us who is the sofer and where he is. Meanwhile he passed away, up to higher and higher. So we have no way to know where could be the glorious place of this truly virtuous sofer. One of his followers complained before him that after eating when he lies on his bed before falling asleep he wants to speak some words of Hitbodedut then, to ask of Hashem Yithbarakh to draw him to His service etc., and he's unable to open his mouth at all. Rabbeinu of blessed memory answered him, if that's the case then one lies and sighs sigh after sigh. And Rabbeinu of blessed memory himself made forced sighs like showing to do thus.

512

He said [that it is already a transgression when you commit a sin] meaning from now on.

513

I heard in his name that he said that through the faith in true tzaddikim one merits great wealth, and this: "His reward is very much." 'Very much' refers to the wealth, as our Sages, may their memory be blessed, have said: "In all your wealth" [meaning] "according to his actions," and "his actions" refer to the tzaddikim, as it is written: "I will give to the doer of righteousness." And this 'according to his actions' means through faith in the tzaddikim, because faith is dependent on a person's mouth, as it is written: "I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth," and through this his reward is very much, that he merits great wealth.

514

I heard in his name that he recounted from several great true tzaddikim. And he said that such a person has some power to lead the world, only the shortcoming is that he is not fit for leadership. And he also recounted about other tzaddikim who are unable to lead the world. He answered and said that the matter is as is stated in the Midrash regarding the letters at the time of the creation of the world. That the letters came before the Blessed Name and each one wanted the Blessed Name to create the world with it. And the Blessed Name answered each one saying: "You are beautiful and very lovely." Yet, despite this, "I do not wish to create the world with you," and so on. Similarly, there is a matter of tzaddikim who are very beautiful and lovely, and yet they are unable to lead the world.

515

He warned not to eat in haste, meaning quickly as a glutton, because this is in the category of: "Feed me, I pray," but rather to train oneself to eat with deliberation, in a settled manner, and in a proper way, as when eating in a proper way, where a person sits down important at the table, so should he always eat even when eating alone.

516

He said that in the future, the tzaddikim will say, "This is the Lord; we have hoped for Him; this is exactly so," and he said in the Ashkenazic language that each one will say [with truth to the Lord: "This is what we hoped for"]. Meaning that even in this world they merited to attain it just as they see it now, and they always hoped to see it this way, and now they have merited it. Therefore, they will say then, "This is the Lord; we have hoped for Him; this is exactly so."

517

I am confident in the Blessed Name that every child who comes before me before he reaches the age of seven will surely be pure from sin until the day of his wedding.

518

I heard in his name that he said: There are people with me who sometimes become very passionate about serving the Blessed Name, and they are truly devoted to the Blessed Name. They are at a high level, even surpassing completely righteous individuals. However, sometimes they fall from this state, etc. Who would grant that their hearts remain in this state while they are engaged in the service of the Blessed Name? Who would grant that they remain at this level for a long time and many years? Additionally, I heard in his name concerning this matter that he said the essence is the heart at the beginning, for at the beginning of serving God, the heart becomes very passionate towards the Blessed Name. It is very good to strive and exert effort to maintain this fervor and longing towards the Blessed Name at the beginning. And he said that the holy righteous Rabbi Zusya, of blessed memory, was profoundly new in this regard compared to many great righteous individuals because he carried the heart of the beginning for a long time.

519

Once, he said to me: Everything you see in the world is solely for the sake of choice, for the entire world and all that is in it was created only for the sake of choice.

520

He greatly loved simple services, etc., and he greatly loved anyone who could recite many supplications and requests within the large prayers, etc., as printed in "Likutei Tefillot," Siman 104. And he said, "I envy R' Yitzhak, the son-in-law of R' Yaakov, who could recite many." That is, in Breslov, there was one person who was accustomed to reciting many supplications, psalms, and services every day. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said that he envied this person who could recite many and that he himself, of blessed memory, before he contracted the severe illness that took him from this world, would always sing many hymns every Sabbath and on the eve of Sabbath. Anyone who did not hear him singing on Sabbath would hear him in praise on the eve of Sabbath, and he would prepare for the meal in the morning. Similarly, he would sing all other hymns. Every holy day and celebration, he sang excellently. Fortunate is the ear that heard this and fortunate is he who will hear this in the future in the World to Come.

521

Regarding the merit of innovating in the Torah, it is a great rectification for thoughts, as explained elsewhere in "Likutei Tefillot," Siman 105. I heard from his holy mouth many times that he strongly warned against innovating in the Torah. And he said that it is a great rectification for the past. He said that even one utterance when one merits to innovate is also very good because it is a great rectification. He also said that it is good for the soul of his ancestors who have already departed. And he said, "I have already given you the power of imagination, which is valid and good, and you are permitted to innovate in the Torah." And he said, "You can achieve with the power of your imagination what I can achieve with intellect."

522

He told me about a certain righteous man from the land of Lithuania who, before his death, would strike with his finger in a particular manner, as is customary among the world to strike with their fingers one against another, thumb against the index finger, until a sound is heard between them. He said with joy in this language: "Iber Gishpringin." That is, he was very joyful that he had skipped and leapt over this world and its vanities—fortunate is he. And our Rabbi, of blessed memory, greatly praised this righteous man for having said this before his death. Fortunate is he who skips and leaps over the vanities of this world and its pleasures. He also told in the name of this righteous man a beautiful saying: "The praise of the Lord will speak through my mouth," meaning that even though my mouth merits to speak praises of the Lord, certainly every flesh will bless His holy name forever. That is, the righteous man was very humble and lowly in his own eyes. Therefore, he would say that because of his humility, he merited to speak praises of the Lord. Thus, certainly, every flesh has the permission to bless His holy name, for certainly, they are not worse than him. And this is "The praise of the Lord will speak through my mouth." Therefore, certainly, every flesh will bless His holy name forever, as mentioned above.

523

Once, I stood before him when they had sewn a new garment for him, which was to be a lining of ermine skins for the winter. He then said to me that whenever a person wears a new and beautiful garment, a change occurs in him so that his face changes when the garment he is wearing changes. And even if that person is a wise person among the wise or even if he is an exceedingly wealthy person for whom the garment is not particularly significant, and even if he is a king, nonetheless, whenever he puts on a new garment, it is inevitable that there will be a change in him, and his movements will be altered because of this.

524

I heard from the holy mouth that the Baal Shem Tov, may his memory be for a blessing, when his garment was not properly sewn as required, like the tailors sometimes ruin the garment with their sewing, would command himself to make a redemption.

525

At the time he wore a zibitze [a special upper coat] and its color was what is called papillon [gray], he answered and said on Sabbath night "And I am dust and ashes" in their language, papillon.

526

A certain individual stood before him who was engaged in teaching Kabbalah and, in truth, he was not worthy of teaching Kabbalah. He proved to him that he should not study Kabbalah and said to him that Kabbalah in gematria equals "adulterer." Again, I heard from someone who was talking to another person, and that person was complaining before him that he had no heart, meaning that he had no spiritual awakening in prayer and service. Our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, replied that this is for someone who learns Kabbalah because "an adulterer lacks heart" and Kabbalah in gematria equals "adulterer." And all this is for someone who is not worthy of it, but for several people, he warned himself that they should study Kabbalah and they need to pray to the blessed God that He should guide them in the way of truth, whether to study Kabbalah or to desist.

527

Regarding the issue of "ends," where there are some great ones who speculate on ends and say that it is fitting for the Messiah to come at that end which they are saying, as was seen in our time when they were speaking about several details when the Messiah would come, and similarly in the generations before them. And our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, did not agree with this at all and said that whenever they say any end, then definitely the Messiah will not come at that time which they are saying. And it is already explained in the holy Zohar that those who speculate on ends are severely cursed because the Son of David will come only in a state of distracted awareness. And now, the world is saying that the Messiah will come in the year 1940 according to the Rabbinical calculations, and it seems to them that there are hints in the holy Zohar about this. And in truth, definitely, he will not come at that time in any way, and it is possible that he will come before the year 1940 or after it, but in the year 1940 he will not come in any way because the world is anticipating that time. And the general rule is that whenever speculators of ends are found who say that the Messiah will come at that time, then exactly he will not come at that time. Only he will come, he will not delay, swiftly in our days in a state of distraction of knowledge, meaning that they should not generally think about that end which will come, and suddenly he will come swiftly in our days, Amen.

528

Once, they spoke before him about the worry of sustenance. He rebuked them and said, "What is there to worry about sustenance? Isn't bread with a cucumber a good enough food?"

529

He said, on a fast day it is good to recite the portion of all the offerings.

530

Once, he spoke to me about the matter of removing general desires, which are desires for immorality, and he was very dismissive of this desire in his way. He replied and said, "It is always difficult for me what our Sages, may their memory be for a blessing, said that it is like being possessed by a demon, who compels you." Meaning that if a person wants to completely overcome his desire, no one will compel him. And understand.

531

Previously, he spoke about the service of the righteous, that the righteous person’s followers need to serve the righteous in all his needs and do everything that he needs to do. And he said that this is hinted at in the verse: "The Lord is righteous in all His ways," meaning when does the righteous person merit that the Lord should be in all His ways, as in "In all your ways know Him," meaning when can the righteous person fulfill that the Lord is in all His ways like "And the pious in all his deeds," as when the pious is in all his deeds. Meaning that the righteous person's followers, who are called pious, when they are involved in all the deeds of the righteous. For it is not necessary to turn to anything else, because his followers do what he needs.

532

"He stretches out Your kindness to those who know You, O jealous and avenging God" means that we ask that the blessed Name continue to show kindness to His knowers, to anger His enemies. And this is: "He stretches out Your kindness to those who know You, O jealous and avenging God" meaning to act against the enemies so that "the wicked will see and be angry" and as it is written: "For the sake of my enemies redeem me" and as it is written: "For the sake of my adversaries, make my way straight before me."

533

He said that when the mind is exhausted from learning, it is necessary to engage in and speak ordinary conversations with people to refresh his mind. This conversation is like sleep that rests the mind. And such a conversation is not at all considered idle talk; on the contrary, it is a great mitzvah. And concerning this, our Sages, may their memory be for a blessing, said: "The nullification of Torah is its preservation," as it is written: "It is time to act for the Lord, they have broken Your law." For if one does not occasionally engage in conversation to refresh his mind, Heaven forbid, it will nullify everything. And this matter is mentioned in the words of our Sages, may their memory be for a blessing, in the first book of the Torah, Rabbi Yochanan discusses [in Siman 16], and see this explanation and so on. And in the book "Likutey Tenyana," in the Torah that begins with the matter of the simple conduct of the righteous truth, in Siman 78, see there that sometimes one must be a completely simple person. See there carefully.

534

Rabbi Shimon accomplished with our Rabbi, may his memory be for a blessing, that he should merit to serve him after his death just as he served him in his lifetime. There is a story about this that should be told and elaborated on elsewhere.

535

For remembrance, to record the incident that occurred at a time when he was traveling and was sleeping outside on a bed, and began to scream very much within his sleep. Everyone ran to him, and he awoke, entered the house, opened a book, and said he found an explanation there about the matter. For that house, meaning the inn, was newly built from fresh wood, which had not yet been used, and he said that he opened that book, which was apparently a Midrash, and it was written there that when one cuts down a tree prematurely, it is as if he kills a soul. And the incident was as follows: When he was sleeping, he dreamed that there were dead people lying around him, and he was very frightened within his sleep. Thus, he looked and saw that there were dead people near him, and so on, and he began to scream loudly until everyone gathered around him. He also said that it is necessary to be meticulous about which bed to sleep on. And he related an incident where his mother was with him on the road, and they were given two beds to sleep on. In the morning, he told his mother that he dreamed they were taking him through Hell. And his mother said to him, "I also dreamt that they were taking me through all of Eden." And the village keeper said that the bed he was sleeping on was used for important guests and had already been slept on by many great righteous people, while the second bed was used for commoners. And even here, the same bed was used, and so on. The interpretation of the dream is self-evident.

536

One time his followers were standing in his presence when this uncut man from the idolaters' troops that are stationed in our midst came, knocked on the window and asked: Is there a soldier here? They answered him: No, none of them are here. And he went his way. Later, after some time, he came back and knocked on the window some more and asked if there is a soldier here. Rabbeinu z"l spoke up and said, "That is how your Yetzer Hara` is: at first it comes and knocks on the man, and when he turns his back to him and replies, There are none of his soldiers here, and makes him go away and then he goes away, nevertheless afterwards he comes again and knocks on the man, even though he already made him go away and answered him, None of his soldiers are here, as he and his soldiers have no place here. Nevertheless he does not hold back from coming again and again, and one needs to drive him out each time, until he is driven out completely." And see elsewhere regarding this, that one must be very persistent against him, time after time, even a hundred times and more, and then if he will be strong against him, many, many times, he will merit to drive him away completely. "Umechala'im ra`im verabim vene'emanim/And from many evil and faithful illnesses [You have saved us]" ought to be said with much concentration, because God forbid if He did not save us...

537

He spoke about the notorious falsehoods, saying that it is very difficult for a person who is deceitful to trouble the whole world to mislead them from the straight path. Therefore, he placed one notorious figure in one place and another notorious figure in another place. And he said about one notorious figure that he had removed the head of a thousand people who would certainly not rise in the resurrection of the dead.

538

He said about the people of our peace that it is difficult for them to raise themselves to lead in greatness and elevation because I have instilled in them a great deal of truth beyond what is necessary.

539

He said that it is very good to give at all times for redeeming the righteous, even not during times of trouble, Heaven forbid. And he told about some people from the region of Kira who are very accustomed to giving many redeeming donations all the time. And he said that if he had a righteous person who was worthy to perform redemption for him, he would give him redeeming donations every day and at all times. And he spoke a lot about this, for redeeming donations are a very great thing.

540

Regarding the visions and dreams that great righteous people see, he said that when they want to see a vision or dream, they are given eyes like those which can see what is seen, such as the soul of a dead person or an angel and similar things. And refer to another place where it is explained about the verse: "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous," that the righteous have the eyes of the Lord, and therefore they can see with the eyes of the Lord.

541

I heard from him that he said that the blessing customarily given to bless oneself before great and important people is a very valuable thing, and it is good to strive to bless oneself before everyone.

542

He said that it is very good to see the faces of all the righteous people of the generation, for the righteous have the faces of the Shekhinah.

543

A few times, he spoke to us at length and warned us strongly to bring souls closer to the Blessed Name, to strive to speak frequently with people to awaken them and to return them to the service of the Blessed Name. His desire was even to speak with people about worldly matters, perhaps from such conversations there would emerge words that would arouse them to the Blessed Name, and even if they would not act upon it, but only a movement in the world, so that there might enter them some thought of repentance or momentary awakening. It is also very good if, through speaking with them and returning and speaking again, one might merit to truly awaken them to the Blessed Name and to bring them closer to His service. For there is nothing greater than this, as is explained in all the books, especially in the Holy Zohar, as it is written there, “Blessed is he who unites with those who are bound to life, etc., and the Holy One, blessed be He, is praised in it in all the worlds.” And this is his blessed memory’s remembrance, that he spoke to us about this many times, urging us very strongly in various ways. And many times he would disgrace us with insults because we were being lazy about this, and once he called us dry wood for not bringing souls closer to the Blessed Name through our efforts. And once, on the night of Motzaei Shabbat, we stood before him with several of his important followers, and he reproached us greatly for many hours about this matter, and he spoke much about it. He also desired that they travel journeys for this purpose, to speak with people. And then, when he spoke about striving to bring souls closer to the Blessed Name as mentioned above, he would jest about those who strive to bring people closer to the Blessed Name, only the lesser ones in greatness, such as the poor and the impoverished, and the people of the lands, and similar lowly people. For the main thing is to strive to bring closer to the Blessed Name those great in stature who have some importance. For it is very difficult to bring such people closer, and when one merits to bring them closer, blessed is he. For it is a very great thing when one brings great souls closer to the Blessed Name, and then the smaller and lower ones naturally fall away and come closer to the Blessed Name, as they are nullified compared to the great ones, and they come closer to the Blessed Name because they become subordinate to the greater ones who come closer through the path of truth to the Blessed Name. And I asked his blessed memory who is the great one. He answered hastily [in a rebuking manner for my asking such a simple question], “He who is a scholar is more important, he who is rich is more important, he who is of noble lineage is more important.” And the meaning of his words was that anyone who has some importance and greatness, whether through wealth, wisdom, or lineage, his soul is certainly greater and higher. And likewise, he has a greater evil inclination and also more souls depend upon him. Therefore, the main thing is to strive to bring closer the important youth in the city, such as the wealthy and those who are prominent in learning, and then the smaller ones will naturally come closer, as mentioned above. Also, his way was not to strive to bring the elderly closer, only the youth, as mentioned in the “Aleph-Bet” that the youth are more easily returned to the Blessed Name than the elderly. And so, an elderly person told me about himself that once, on Shavuot in Zaslav, he said to our rabbi, blessed be his memory, “Our rabbi, bring me closer to you.” Our rabbi, blessed be his memory, answered, “I cannot bring the elderly closer.” Afterward, our rabbi laughed a bit and said to him, “Say that this is the truth, that I cannot; certainly, I can bring even the elderly closer.” However, even so, this elderly person did not come closer to our rabbi as much as the youth. And so, it is explained in the Torah, “You are lost,” as it is explained in Likutei Aḥaron, siman 216, the distinction between an old man and a young man. Refer there. And so, we have heard and seen how difficult it is to bring the elderly closer.

544

He said: Whoever draws close to a true tzaddik, spending many days and years standing and serving before him, and hearing his words—even if he hears many words, conversations, and stories from him without understanding any benefit or advice for his own soul—nonetheless, if he merits, he will later be able, after many days, to understand clearly and to learn and derive from all the stories he has heard great advice for the service of the Blessed Name. And every word and every statement that he heard many years ago will have a great benefit for him afterward, and he will live by each word and statement. For afterward, he will merit to understand and say, "This was a hint from my master at that time." Thus, every time, hints and great advice will emerge from his knowledge from everything he has already heard, if he merits to focus his heart on all he has already heard.

He narrated a story about an event that occurred with a renowned tzaddik, who had in his house a simple person known as a Prostnik. This person would stand and serve the tzaddik constantly and heard many words from him, yet he did not understand their meaning or benefit at all, only that he had great faith in the tzaddik and in his holy words, even though he did not understand them fully. He stood and served the tzaddik faithfully. After many years, when the tzaddik passed away, this person began to recall, each time he came to a certain matter, the words of the tzaddik and said to himself, "This is what the tzaddik meant and hinted to me in his words at that particular time." Thus, each time, he understood afterward the intent of the tzaddik and the hints he had hinted to him in his words many years earlier, and he understood the matter. Afterward, this person became a righteous and God-fearing man, highly esteemed in his city, and became a leader and guide for all the righteous and those seeking to fear the Blessed Name, who were in the city of that tzaddik. All of them submitted under him.

545

Once, I was complaining before him about my matters, saying in a manner of lamentation that I had exerted myself in reading until my throat was hoarse and my eyes were longing for God. He lifted his hands slightly and said in a soft voice, "If so, what is to be done?" (meaning, it is certainly forbidden to ponder after the Blessed One, and certainly the tzaddik is righteous). Then he answered and said to me, "Did not King David, peace be upon him, say, 'I have labored in my reading until my throat was hoarse'? This is simply because he had read so much until he was exhausted and his throat was truly hoarse. But you are still praising God, you are still in your strength."

546

He spoke about the wars of kings who fight each other for some victory and shed much blood in vain. He said that many foolishnesses have already been abolished from the world, which had confused and perplexed the earlier generations (such as issues of idol worship where they would slaughter their children to the king and similar matters, and many other foolishnesses that were in the earlier generations). And now many foolishnesses have been abolished. However, this error and confusion of wars have not been abolished. And he mocked their wisdom and said with a tone of jest that they are great wise men who think and study in their wisdom how to make a marvelous weapon capable of killing thousands of people at once. And is there a greater folly than to destroy and kill many lives in vain?

547

At a time when there was a fire here once on Shabbat and once on Yom Kippur, his will was that the matter of saving his possessions should be handled with great leniency and without any stringency [that is, simply in accordance with the law without additional stringencies]. After Yom Kippur, he spoke about this and said that there are several responsa [questions and answers] that permit and allow leniencies in this matter. He said that it is not appropriate to be stringent in such a case. He said that he knows from before that there are people who, for the sake of one stringency, would forfeit a great deal of their service to God, almost everything. For how many times does a person exhaust himself for his possessions and money, traveling and missing out on Torah, prayer, and the service of God, for the sake of gaining wealth, and then for the sake of one stringency he would lose everything, Heaven forbid, and have to make an effort a second time to forfeit himself greatly. He also said about himself that when he carries money on the road, he is very meticulous to hide it well in his garment within his travel bag, against his heart, and that there should be no tear or hole in it. Even so, whenever he is on the road, he constantly checks his pocket to see if he still has the money. Whenever it happened that one of our people lost some money with him on the road, and they came to him with a complaint, he would belittle and rebuke him greatly for not being careful with its protection.

548

Once, he told me when I was standing alone before him that Elijah filled his heart and called to the Holy One, Blessed Be He, as the cause of all causes and the reason for all reasons, and he said in the Ashkenazi language, in this language, that he is a “dëer” and a “veigënish.” And I do not know the precise meaning of this term.

549

They told me that once he spoke extensively about the verse "Truth, acquire it, and do not sell it" and questioned how the verse warns not to sell if no one is there to buy, and how it is possible that the verse first warns to acquire truth and then warns not to sell it, as if no one will buy it. He spoke a lot about this but I did not merit to hear the explanation of the matter.

550

I heard in his name that he said that when falsehood is repeated twice, it becomes truth. That is, it becomes for him like truth by virtue of the fact that the false statements have been repeated twice. He also said that there is one person who lies on his bed and, from his own heart, falsely accuses his friend of having spoken or acted against him, not as it should be, which angers him. He starts to become enraged over this and fills with anger against his friend, who is completely innocent of this matter. For he himself thought and concluded this against his friend, while in truth, his friend is completely clean of it.

551

At one time, he spoke about the prayer of the true tzaddikim, which sometimes does not have an effect in their prayer, for sometimes it is heard and sometimes it is not heard, as explained in the Holy Zohar.

552

Regarding the dark thoughts that confuse a person, especially during prayer, and introduce doubts and confusions into his mind, which causes a person to err and stumble into some prohibition, heaven forbid. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, related a story about the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, who once stood to pray but was unable to pray because he was troubled by a confusion in his mind due to having smoked tobacco by a lamp of rendered fat, and thus he stumbled into a prohibition of fat. Due to this, he was unable to begin his prayer. The Baal Shem Tov stood up, jumped, and swore that he would never smoke tobacco by a lamp of rendered fat again. And so it was, as it is told, that the Baal Shem Tov would smoke tobacco by a lamp of rendered fat.

553

Once, I told him about the chassid from Amsterdam who was renowned in Braid and had traveled to the Land of Israel and I saw him in the Kremenchuk community upon his return from the Land of Israel. I told him that I had heard from him that he said he had already killed the evil inclination. He responded to me sharply and said, "Why does it need to be said that he killed the evil inclination after he had suffered so much? For the aforementioned chassid had suffered greatly, as I heard from my father-in-law, of blessed memory, who said that he had suffered a hundred and six times from Sabbath to Sabbath, consecutively." [The transcriber added that our Rabbi, of blessed memory, intended to instill in the people of our peace a complete faith in the sages and not to question them at all, only to know and believe that all their words are true and righteous and trustworthy, etc.] I heard that once he mentioned to him, of blessed memory, about Rabbi of the Berdichev community, who did not want to go to the mikveh on the morning of Shavuot until they showed him the chariot that Yechezkel saw. And the world was greatly astonished at this, and our Rabbi, of blessed memory, rebuked them and said, "What is this wonder in your eyes? Wasn't Yechezkel also a man, etc.," as explained elsewhere. And it is already explained elsewhere the great praise he gave regarding the sanctity of the aforementioned Rabbi.

I heard that he said about him that if not for his presence in Berdichev, he would have attained a level equivalent to the Maggid of Mezritch due to his great service. Some say he would have attained the level of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory. I heard from one of the important men of our peace that he spoke with our Rabbi, of blessed memory, about the sanctity of the aforementioned Rabbi shortly after his passing, of blessed memory, and said about him that he was unique in his generation. And once he mentioned about a certain tzaddik, who said about the holy Maggid Rabbi Dov, that in every appearance the Maggid of blessed memory would see all seven shepherds. And our Rabbi, of blessed memory, responded about the Maggid of blessed memory, "One must believe all these things." And so he also praised greatly regarding the sanctity of the Maggid of blessed memory. And it is not the place here to elaborate on these praises. The Rabbi was forgotten from our midst, and it is not necessary to explain how he excelled in the sanctity of the level of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, beyond measure and value at all. And when he said [in "Likutey Tenyana" Siman 72] regarding the leader, that a person needs to be holy and highly separated in terms of holiness and separation, our Rabbi, peace be upon him, said then: "And close to our days was the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory," etc. And I heard from Rabbi Naphtali, of blessed memory, that once he spoke about Rashi and the Tosafot, whose graves are in France, and said, "And we are fortunate that in our lands is the place of rest and burial of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory." And he said then that the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, was a Rabbi over thousands and myriad worlds. And once he said before them about us [i.e., about the holy descendants of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory] that the verse says, "And the fruit of the earth for glory and beauty," etc., as explained elsewhere. And once he praised the sanctity of the holy Rabbi Rabbi Pinchas, of blessed memory, from Karetz, and said that there was a time when Rabbi Pinchas was unique in his generation. And once he said, "Happy are the eyes that saw Rabbi Pinchas, of blessed memory." And once, one of his students in Breslov reported, and our Rabbi, of blessed memory, was not at home then, and when he returned home, they told him about this matter and asked if they had given him the proper honor [even though this man was not so well known in the world], and he said, "For such a worthy man, all the honor in the world is insufficient, and for this it is said, 'And those who fear the Lord, He will honor.'" And once he spoke about the sanctity of the holy Rabbi from Polonne and praised him greatly, and said that although his books, "Toledot Yaakov Yosef" and others, are all very holy and wondrous as known and renowned, the sanctity of the level of the holy Rabbi was much higher than what appears and is understood from his holy books. And when he saw the holy book "Naim Elimelech," he was greatly astonished and said that the sanctity of the level of the holy Rabbi Elimelech, of blessed memory, was exalted above what appears and is understood from his book. And he also greatly praised the sanctity of his brother, the holy Rabbi Zusha, of blessed memory, as known to us. And so he greatly praised the sanctity of the holy Rabbi Mikhl, the righteous, of blessed memory, and the sanctity of the holy Rabbi Abraham Kalisker, of blessed memory, and the sanctity of the holy Rabbi Menachem Mendel of blessed memory from Vitebsk, and the sanctity of Rabbi Nachum of blessed memory, and the sanctity of Rabbi Shalom of blessed memory, as well as the sanctity of the other disciples of the Maggid, may their memories be blessed, and the sanctity of the disciples of his disciples, may their memories be blessed, such as the holy Rabbi Minesskiz and the holy Rabbi Elik, and the holy Maggid from Kaznitz and the holy Rabbi from Lantzut and Lublin, and also others whom we know who excelled in the sanctity of other righteous individuals, each according to their level and rank. And there is no need to elaborate on the exaltedness of the sanctity of the righteous who are descendants of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, such as the holy Rabbi Yitzik Mityayev, of blessed memory, and the holy Rabbi from Sadilkow and the holy Rabbi Baruch, of blessed memory. It is not the place here to elaborate in detail on what was heard from him, of blessed memory, about each and every righteous person from among the mentioned righteous. The rabbi has been forgotten from among us [and perhaps will be elaborated on in another place if Hashem desires].

554

Wisdoms are nothing; the main thing is only the heart and the action of the limbs. His heart should yearn and desire continually to serve the Blessed One and he should always be longing for when he will come to serve the Blessed One as is appropriate. This is a very great matter, and he should pray about it constantly, especially in Ashkenazic language, which is commonly used as explained elsewhere. He should continually spend many days and years in yearnings, desires, and prayers that the Name, Blessed be He, should bring him closer to His service. He should perform actions and deeds as much as he can, and through this, he will certainly come closer to the service of the Blessed One.

555

He said to me, "Do you not know what the Blessed Name desires? The Blessed Name loves a refined person."

556

Regarding what was recounted before him about one great person who learned 119 [I do not recall whether he learned 119 pages of Gemara every day or if he reviewed 119 pages every day], and he said that this is little. He hinted in his words at a small gematria of 119.

557

From the Baal Shem Tov of blessed memory, it is told that he achieved and saw all the remedies, as they are called in all the seventy languages in the section of twenty-four types of impure birds, as our Rabbi also reported this in the name of the Baal Shem Tov of blessed memory.

558

I heard from his holy mouth about the matter of "Mar'in Rachamana Litzlan" (may the Merciful One preserve us) that he said the klipot (shells) of the person’s reading go to it, and from this, comes the vision of the klipot, may the Merciful One preserve us. We once heard from his holy discussions that he said with his holy mouth that the great service among the greatest in the service of the Name is easier to perform than the business of acquiring possessions, which burdens oneself for the sake of livelihood and worldly affairs. For do we not see how much effort a person exerts to go to some fair or market day that immediately after the exit of Shabbat, he needs to toil and search for a wagon and hasten greatly to load his merchandise onto the wagon with great effort, and then needs to travel all night and stay awake, and exert his entire body because he needs to sit on a loaded wagon, and other labors and efforts as known in the world. And afterward, he must stand all day on his feet, etc., and especially during the severe cold seasons, etc. All these burdens and severe efforts are a burden on oneself for the sake of uncertain small profit. It is uncertain if he will gain even a small profit or if he might even lose the expenses as is commonly found in many cases. It turns out that for worldly livelihood matters, one exerts so much effort for such uncertain small profit. And the great service among the greatest is prayer, and even so, when standing to pray, those praying complete the prayer.

559

I understood from the discourse of our Rabbi, of blessed memory, that with every step a person takes from place to place, he enters into different worlds each time.

560

I heard from our Master, Teacher, and Rabbi, of blessed memory, that each person has a level of "what is before" and "what is behind," according to his own level.

561

I heard from his holy mouth that every day he has a flow of his own.

562

I heard from our Rabbi, of blessed memory, that the time for giving charity in the land of Israel is in Adar, as mentioned in the words of our Rabbi, of blessed memory. The essence of falling is due to greatness. For in truth, there is no falling in the world at all, for the Name, Blessed be He, is in every place, as the whole earth is filled with His glory. However, when there is greatness, then the Blessed Holy One says, "I am not, and He is able," and so forth. Thus, all falls are due to greatness.

563

I heard from our Rabbi, of blessed memory, that in the days of Abraham our father, the Shekhinah was referred to by the name of Sarah, and in the days of Isaac by the name of Rivkah, and in the days of Jacob by the name of Rachel and Leah, and so it is mentioned in the Holy Zohar in this regard.

564

Faith is a last attribute, yet through it, one can ascend all levels. For faith is like the "stone that the builders rejected" and became the cornerstone, as is known. And as our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said in his holy discourses, that he spoke with us after the Torah, that He has mercy on them and leads them with "Likutey Tikkunim" (a collection of rectifications) and said that faith is a final level, but through it, one can rise above everything and reach an extraordinary level of will, etc., which ascends above everything. See there in the discourses after the stories of the deeds.

565

I heard from his holy mouth a terrifying discourse of the greatness of the Creator, Blessed be He, which cannot be described in writing. However, afterward, it leads to discussions of strengthening oneself, so that even if one falls into a place according to his level of fall, may the Merciful One preserve us, he should strengthen himself and never despair. For the greatness of the Blessed One is far above the Torah, where everything can be corrected, for repentance is above the Torah. I asked him how to merit this, and he replied that one should be able to come to this and only not despair from crying out, prayer, and requests. One should only engage in crying out, prayer, and supplication, and not grow weary until he reaches this ascent, etc. For the essence of repentance is crying out and shouting to the Name, Blessed be He, and so forth.

566

The essence of complete truth and faith is according to each person's own estimation in his heart, as I heard from his holy mouth, of blessed memory.

567

Once, among all his holy words, I heard that the essence of the name of the holy work is charity.

568

The main source of hope is by means of the concept of "above time," which the Tzaddikim, who are in the aspect of Mashiach, attain. This I understood from Rabbeinu z"l's holy mouth saying, close to his passing away, that now he is going with the lesson that he revealed on the verse, "Ani hayom yelidh'tikha" [LM II #61], which concerns the aspect of above time etc. And it is impossible to explain this matter in writing at all, except, what I understood from his words is that he said this regarding the fact that he is involved in such enormous efforts to draw many souls to Hashem Yitbarakh, and has still not achieved it as he desired, and the opposition and the obstacles, physical and spiritual, were getting much, much, more powerful and widespread, in general and in particular, for every individual, to the extent that the power to endure was faltering, and many had fallen as a result… And regarding this he said that he revives himself with this principle of "Ani hayom yelidh'tikha," namely that Hashem Yitbarakh should help us to skip over everything, and in the final end the truth will be revealed, and we will all return to Hashem Yitbarakh in truth, and the former days will fall away, for, all of time will be nullified, and everything will be merged into the aspect of "above time," and there, everything will be set right.

569

I heard from our Rabbi, of blessed memory, that when someone renews his Torah study, he does a great kindness for his father and mother. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, told me that he spoke with someone who was very distressed by his many negative actions. This person desired greatly to draw closer to the Blessed Name and to escape his evil deeds, but every time, he was overcome more and more, until days and years passed without him being able to escape from what he needed to escape from. Nevertheless, he strengthened himself further and strove every time to draw closer to the Blessed Name. He was very distressed before our Rabbi, of blessed memory, about the impurity of his deeds. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, responded to him with wisdom and simplicity, saying, "I have no one to talk to, for he is entirely evil." Immediately, the person was awakened and responded to our Rabbi, of blessed memory, saying, "Despite all this, I am struggling at times to continue with myself towards the sanctity of Israel." Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, replied, "It is somewhat," and immediately told him to accustom himself to reciting the verse "Azamra leEl kay" ("I will sing to God") and so on. All this was told to me by our Rabbi, of blessed memory. I understood his holy intention that precisely through this, he revived the person, for he had already fallen in his own eyes to such an extent that it was impossible to revive him in any way other than by telling him that he was entirely evil. Then he began to feel a bit of the sanctity of the good points that still remained within him, and then he told him to recite the verse "Azamra" and so on, as stated above.

570

I heard from our Rabbi, of blessed memory, that he said regarding what the young men would complain about their soul’s distress, that they do not merit to sanctify themselves properly and serve the Name as appropriate. He once said that there are definitely effective remedies, but even those remedies are hard to sustain.

571

I heard from our Master, our teacher, and our Rabbi, that there is a certain closed place where several great men of the generation were captured. Therefore, sometimes they pray appropriately, like great people, and do much good, but sometimes, Heaven forbid, the opposite occurs. This is due to a certain known nation that captured and conquered the country and so on. However, now, due to Israel, many sit with them, and thus, it is not as bad as it was previously. May God protect us and so on.

572

I heard from the holy mouth of our Rabbi, of blessed memory, that he said that the evil inclination is very strong among some people, especially among those who are great in rank. For the sake of one thing that seems to them like a mitzvah, they abandon everything and, as a result, they fall into many failings, especially when this leads to quarrels and so on.

573

The copyist said: I heard that when our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said the saying "I greatly yearn to continue the world upon the doing of the Torah," and praised the study of Torah as explained in the conversations after the stories of the deeds, section 19, Rabbi Nathan, of blessed memory, asked him if someone is truly a sinner. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, replied that the greatness of the study of Torah is certainly greater than the preservation of the covenant. For the covenant is foundational, and the Torah is in splendor.

574

Regarding what is explained elsewhere from the secrets in the book of the burnt, I heard that there he explained the great secret of the sanctity and merit of the mitzvah of welcoming guests and the merit of the mitzvah of making the bed for the guest.

575

I saw a saying in the name of our Rabbi, of blessed memory, from the words of the friends, and this saying was stated in Parashat Ekev (Tikkun 56), and the foundation of the matter is that when a person needs advice, he should ask advice from the righteous or their students or, in any case, from the children of the righteous and so on. See there, and through this, all judgments are sweetened and one merits to be saved from afflictions that will not come upon him at all. And even if, Heaven forbid, afflictions do come upon him, he merits through this to receive them with love and joy and merits to see the revelation of God as the Blessed Name contracts Himself, so to speak, and dresses Himself in them. Through this, the afflictions lead to great goodness and great kindness. Also, through the joy mentioned above, one merits to the preservation of the covenant, as the Blessed Name Himself, so to speak, guards His covenant and so on.

576

It is possible that a person may live to be eighty years old and yet die prematurely, meaning that if he has not improved his deeds, certainly all his years are vanity. One need only live, even a little, as long as it is beautiful and proper.

577

I heard that he told someone to have a beautiful and precious cup for Kiddush, and this is conducive to wealth. He then told him that the gematria of the word "Elokim" (God) is "fear," and fear is compared to a woman. And our sages, of blessed memory, said: "Honor your wives so that you may prosper."

578

I also heard that our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said: "The blemish that you see will be yours," meaning that wherever you see a blemish, it will be your blemish to hang upon you. "From there you will become wealthy like Moses," meaning that through this, one merits wisdom and so on. [Perhaps he meant to say along the lines of what our sages, of blessed memory, said: "Knowledge acquired with difficulty is of great value," for wisdom is found through humility. Since he had such a trait of humility, the blemish was only his, and through this, he merited wisdom.]

579

I heard how our teacher, of blessed memory, once told one of his esteemed followers, that when he was in Lebov, there was also the holy Rabbi Tzvi Aryeh, of blessed memory, from Elik. And once they traveled together into a forest and discussed all the righteous people and their service. Our teacher, of blessed memory, then looked up and concluded that the matter was unknown to anyone. Later, he said to that person, “I will tell you what my illness is,” etc. “The merit of the forefathers will not be sufficient for the healing of my illness, only in one matter did I rely a little on the fact that I brought many people to improvement.” The person replied, “It is true that I knew that Rabbi Nathan would certainly be a righteous man [good man],” and he responded, “What you can say is that he is already now also a righteous man.”

580

The scribe also heard from someone who told him that the person who served Rabbi Tzvi Aryeh, of blessed memory, when Rabbi Tzvi Aryeh returned home from the journey to the forest, said, “I saw him [i.e., our teacher, of blessed memory] a few years ago in my home, and even then, I had no perception of him at all. Now, I do not know anything at all.” And as it appears, we all need to be ashamed of ourselves before him.

581

I heard how our teacher, of blessed memory, once wrote a letter to his daughter Sarah, of blessed memory, with great love and affection, and how he yearned greatly for her to be at his table so that he could enjoy her company every day and receive wisdom and fear from her words. Is it not that you are like a rose in the desert, where no one can receive its pleasant scent, etc.?

582

I heard from one of the people of our peace who stood with a few other people from our group at the time she received the letter mentioned above and read it, and she cried before them with third tears and said, “I must be now in a lower and much diminished state compared to when my father praised me in his eyes so greatly.” For I heard from my father that sometimes he praised someone in his eyes and before him because he saw that the person had fallen from his level, and therefore needed to be strengthened.

583

I also heard that our teacher, of blessed memory, said, “My children [meaning his daughters] have the spirit of holiness that is close to prophecy, and from my wife Sarah, I do not speak at all.” The general principle is that if we were to speak and write about the holiness of his holy descendants, it would require countless scrolls to describe even a portion of their praise and virtues, their righteousness, piety, and simplicity, and their great humility and lowliness, and other such good and upright qualities, and even more so from the depth of their holiness that we have no perception of at all. And if they had been deserving, the world would have already been rectified due to our teacher, of blessed memory, filling his place. The world would have been rectified according to his excellence and perfection to the highest degree. And I once heard Rabbi Nathan, of blessed memory, give a terrible discourse on this matter that would make a person’s hair stand on end upon hearing it, and it is impossible to explain it in writing, even with a hint.

584

I heard in the name of our Rabbi, of blessed memory, that he said that for every letter of the Aleph-Bet, there is a source for it: from which place the matter is derived, from which verse or statement of our Sages, of blessed memory, and so forth. And what is the reason? Only about one thing out of the new Aleph-Bet he said from where it is derived—he knows, but he does not know why. The copier said that it is clear why he extolled so much the second, new Aleph-Bet (Book of Measures) as explained in the introduction. His main intention was regarding the reason—the inner essence of the comprehension that he, of blessed memory, had on every subject explained there. However, from where it is derived, one could find also for many things explained in the new Aleph-Bet, how they are hinted at in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory. And already many of our people have found them in various statements of our Rabbi, of blessed memory, explicitly.

585

I heard that once they told before him about the journey of the holy Rabbi from Berdichev, of blessed memory, to Yass, and how he gathered much money there. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said that a good melody is better than this, and particularly a melody from the Land of Israel is certainly better than this. If they would have shown him a melody of the Land of Israel, all his desires for money would be nullified [The copier referred to Likutei Tishim and Likutei Halachot for details on this topic, explaining that a melody of the Land of Israel is considered a double pleasure that rectifies one's desires for money.]

586

He told one of his close associates how to dance before the bride. And he hinted to him how to dance and skip in front of the bride—that is, before the groom.

587

I heard how one of the young boys was lying in the room of our Rabbi, of blessed memory. Once, he approached our Rabbi, of blessed memory, and began to cry before him, expressing his desire to become a proper person. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, was already lying on his bed. He got up and sat on his bed and began to speak with him, and instructed him in the way of this. He also commanded him some studies to learn and commanded him to be among the Maarei D'Chushbina—that is, to consider each night before going to bed how the day went. If he learned and prayed properly during that day, he should thank and praise the Lord, blessed be He, and say: "Praise and thanks to Your great and holy name for enabling me to learn and pray this day according to Your will. I beseech You, Lord my God, to help me tomorrow to increase in Your service in Torah and prayer with greater focus and completeness as appropriate to Your will." And if, God forbid, he did not learn and pray properly that day, he should confess and plead before Him, blessed be He, and say: "Master of the universe, I know that I sinned this day and did not serve You properly, neither in Torah nor in prayer, etc. Now I request and plead before You, etc., that You forgive and pardon me for my past shortcomings in serving You properly, and help me tomorrow to serve You in Torah and prayer with the appropriate focus and completeness as fitting Your will."

588

One of our people was complaining and apologizing before him, of blessed memory, because he had a great sorrow that he had no special place for the service of God. For his house was small and very cramped, and every time, there were non-Jews sitting there, as is usual in the tavern, and as a result, his mind was very disturbed. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, replied to him, probably, that if the Lord, blessed be He, knows that all your choices and service depend on this—that you should have a special place—He would certainly give you a special place. And now, certainly, you can be a proper person even in this house. He spoke with him further on these matters.

589

Once, one of our people spoke to our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, about a matter relating to experiencing sometimes that one's speech seems to come from the back of the head rather than from the heart. [And similarly, this is explained in his words, blessed be his memory]. Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, responded to him, "You know what is the heart and what is the back of the head."

590

Once, a man complained before him, blessed be his memory, about how difficult it was for him to pray because foreign thoughts greatly confused him. Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, replied that this is accepted as an atonement for sin, and he smiled a little. The slight smile seemed to indicate that, indeed, these foreign thoughts are themselves sins, and therefore he smiled slightly. However, despite this, it is certainly true that all his words are truth and righteousness because in any case, if one does not reflect afterwards, may He be blessed, and knows that certainly, the Blessed Name wants to draw him close and accept his prayer, only that his sins caused all these foreign thoughts to come and confuse him. And it is possible that the distress of this and the attempt to escape from them with all his might is certainly considered as an atonement for sin until if he were fortunate to conduct himself in this with purity and truth as is fitting [for it is impossible to explain this in writing]. Already, his sins would be forgiven through this alone, and thus all foreign thoughts would naturally depart from him. And as our Sages, blessed be their memory, said: "One who transgresses a sin and feels ashamed of it, they forgive him," and see in Likutei Tiniyanah, section 46, and in the Sichot where it is mentioned that battling with foreign thoughts during prayer to subdue them, or in any case fleeing from them, is akin to the concept of "for you we have killed all day," akin to self-sacrifice and offerings, etc. And much has already been explained in his words, blessed be his memory, regarding these matters. One person from our people was in Petersburg, and he wrote many letters from there, expressing great distress over being thrown there because several times he heard from him, blessed be his memory, that it is very difficult to strengthen oneself in one's service, blessed be He, for it is a very dangerous place. And once, our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, recounted this and said in these words [This matter in itself is so terrifying and frightening that perhaps due to the impurity of the place, one will not be able to maintain his level. This matter itself establishes and strengthens him to stand on his position and not fall from his level].

591

One person asked him if he should be a teacher. He answered him no [for he said, blessed be his memory, that in his eyes, teaching and being a scholar and a pious person in a small town is dangerous because it is easy for him to stumble into arrogance, Heaven forbid]. It is better for you to be a merchant and a person of trade and bargaining, only at the time you go into the market, you should despise and scorn this world with your mouth.

592

One of the young men spoke with him, blessed be his memory, and said, "I want to be a righteous person," and he answered him, "Do you want to want?" And the discerning person will understand that these few words carry a lot of weight, as known and understood to those who are familiar with his holy and wondrous conversations. May it be His will that we merit to fulfill them, Amen.

593

He went here and there in the special house that he had in Breslev and discussed with me the matter of the ways of serving God. Sometimes, according to the Rabbi, there are great sufferings for his service, and afterwards they ease up a bit. And he has some pleasure, as known to those who enter a bit into the service of God. He answered and said that it is not permitted to abandon the Holy Name, blessed be He, and said in the Ashkenazic language, [...] meaning that initially he had sufferings and confusions, and afterwards when he has some pleasure, he will say that the Holy Name, blessed be He, has already answered his request, and there is no need to plead with Him further because truly, the Holy Name, blessed be He, has not yet provided complete salvation, and one must still look for salvation and repent before Him much like a person who repents before his father, and to increase sighs and pleadings, etc., so that the Holy Name, blessed be He, will help him again and again, etc. Afterwards he said, "But for you, there is no need to say this because you need to always be in joy." Meaning that if you are constantly resolute, even when the Holy Name, blessed be He, delays a bit, think always about the lack of the necessary salvation. If so, the bitterness and sorrow will increase and the sadness will be greater. This trait of sadness harms one’s service of the Holy Name more than anything else, and everyone needs to strengthen themselves to always be in joy as much as they can. Therefore, even at times of distress and distance from serving Him, one needs to strengthen oneself to always be joyful and to make oneself happy in whatever way possible, in whatever good point one still has, and in what one has merited, that he is not a non-Jew, and so forth, and to turn all sorrow, anguish, and distress into joy. To say, "Even though I am as I am, I am still privileged to be from the seed of Israel and to perform many commandments every day, such as tzitzit, tefillin, the Shema, and charity, etc." And even though the performance of these commandments may be as they are, there are still good points in them, and they become great pleasures above. And even through the commandments performed by the transgressors of Israel, since whenever the name of Israel is invoked, the Holy Name, blessed be He, adorns Himself greatly with it, and as we have explained in our words regarding this matter, there are many halachic principles and ways to advise how to always be joyful, and blessed is he who grasps them. And according to the Rabbi, one must make oneself happy with trivial matters, to engage in laughter and lightheartedness in order to make oneself happy in whatever way possible. And according to the Rabbi, if it is impossible to make oneself happy except through this, because bitterness and sorrow overpower a person more than anything else and are harder to break than all other traits, and harm the person much more than anything else. And the main cause of a person’s distance from the Holy Name, blessed be He, is only due to sadness and intense bitterness. Therefore, one needs to see to make oneself happy with all one’s might in whatever way possible, even at times of hardship and severe distress in material and spiritual matters, whether in the sustenance of the soul or in the sustenance of the body. Even so, one must trust in God always that He will not abandon him forever, heaven forbid, and to make oneself happy in every possible way. How much more so when the Holy Name, blessed be He, expands a bit for him at the time of his distress and gives him some relief. Surely, one must be joyful always and increase the joy further. Understand these words because the words of our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, are very deep, and the essence of the depth is to understand the words to apply them in their simplicity. And even though afterwards it seemed as if the Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, contradicted himself in the very words he said before me, that there is no need to abandon the Holy Name, blessed be He, due to the need to always be joyful, nevertheless, these words are very necessary before me and before other people of our generation because I understood his intent a bit, which is to prevent falling into sadness due to constantly thinking about the lack of necessary salvation. Truly, one needs to be in joy always, even with the distress in the service of the Holy Name and the increase in distance. And even if he still has additional sufferings in sustenance and preventions, etc., nevertheless, he must make himself happy in whatever way he can, as stated. How much more so when the Holy Name, blessed be He, shows him mercy and expands his situation a bit. But even so, he should not think that he has already reached what he needs and that nothing is lacking in his service of the Holy Name, blessed be He, as if the Holy Name, blessed be He, has already granted him all his requests. Because truly, much salvation still remains with the Holy Name, blessed be He, and there is no need to abandon Him, blessed be He, and so forth. Only, even so, one must always be in joy because this is how it should be. And going with simplicity, one will be able to understand these words in their simplicity.

594

For the memory of what he said to me alone, when I came to him from Medzhebuzh with my friend Rabbi Naftali some weeks ago. It then seemed to me that he was a bit particular about my spending too much time at his door. I had traveled to him several times, and immediately when I entered his large house, which was adjacent to the study hall, he greeted me and said, "Peace be upon you," [and "Have a good journey"] and smiled slightly. Afterward, he remained sitting in the place where he used to sit, close to the door that was facing the old study hall. He then spoke with me and greatly comforted me, saying that I did not know what the Blessed Name wanted to do with me today, that I am like this now, and later I would be like this, and so forth. I answered and said, "It will be done with you," and so forth. And he hinted that I would be in very great dangers, many times without measure, and gradually, and so forth, and I would open for you paths of understanding, and you would go and travel the way of all my teachings like one who walks and travels in wondrous and awesome palaces and buildings. And then he explained the matter a little, saying that his teachings are like someone who enters palaces with halls and vestibules, and beautiful, wondrous, and awesome apartments, with stories upon stories, in a way of wondrous novelties. And immediately, as one enters a room and begins to look at it and be amazed at the wonders of the novelties within it, one sees that an amazing opening to another room, and from this room to yet another room, and so forth from room to room and from room to the upper story, and so on, with all of them connected with openings, windows, and intertwining in an amazing order, with deep wisdom, and in the utmost beauty and elegance. [And all this cannot be explained in writing except to one who has entered somewhat into the understanding of our Rabbi’s words. Blessed be his memory. Happy is the one who merits to taste the pleasant sweetness of the depth of his teachings, which has no parallel]. But even so, it will still be only like traveling in the teachings of others. But I want it to be completely yours, and this will be [you think for the good deeds you have done only for the sake of what I want] and then he told me about a great tzaddik who, many times, had thought in his mind that even if it would be done from him, G-d forbid, as dust under the feet of the tzaddikim, and so forth, as our sages, blessed be their memory, have said about the souls of the wicked, it would be whatever it would be. On all counts, there would be nothing and no nothing from me. And he told this as a matter of strengthening oneself that even a very great tzaddik had fallen in his mind many times, so much so that it seemed that his hope had been lost, G-d forbid, until he had to revive himself and strengthen himself with the fact that, in all respects, there would be nothing from him and no anything. He said in this language that certainly what our sages, blessed be their memory, have said that they would be made into dust would certainly be in this dust in some aspect of life, and it is also good that nothing more would be from me. And it seems from his words that many times he revived himself with this, and also agreed to this that even if G-d forbid, it would be like this, he would be satisfied to engage in the service of G-d in whatever he could to grasp all the days of his life, and the good G-d would do with him whatever He would do according to His good will.

595

I heard in his name when he came from the great journey he undertook to Nauelvitch until he arrived in Zaslav, where his wife passed away. Afterward, he married a second wife from Bradt, and then when he returned to his house here in Breslev, he spoke a lot about marriages and said that no one knows about this matter of marriages. And it was already written a little about this in another place. And he said that when he was in the holy community of Radovil to marry his second wife from the holy community of Bradt, then several carriages came with women who came to marry him. And he said that all of them were his matches. And he said that every person has several matches, but there are different aspects and wondrous matters involved. For from all the discourses that speak about the matter of marriages, even though they are not completed in themselves as a match and marriage, sometimes people sit in their homes and say that it is fitting for him to marry this woman, and thereby, the matter of this man's match with that woman is completed. And sometimes, matchmakers come and talk about the match, but it is not completed, and this is also considered as a match from the matchmaking. And certainly, it is a higher level of match than the first one. And sometimes, they travel to perform the match, and at the end, they part for some reason. And sometimes, the match is completed, and afterward, they stop the connection of terms. And sometimes, they come to a marriage and afterward, shortly, a divorce takes place between them. And sometimes, the divorce is not done until after some time, and so forth, and this is how there are several aspects in the matter of marriages and matches that are not completed afterward. But all of them are aspects of his matches. For everyone has several matches, but with this one, a certain match is completed through some discourse in the world that speaks about this match. And sometimes, through some further discourse or through some connection or journey or incident for the match according to the hour, and so forth, as mentioned. And this matter is an awesome and wondrous matter that has not been heard of in such a way that the discourse in the world that speaks about the match is itself considered as a match. And so he explains in the Aleph-Bet of his new house that the discourse itself from the match makes an impression upon him and upon it, see there in the section of marriage in Siman 7. And it seems to the eyes that he knew secrets of wonders that were not revealed in the world, as his way in all his awesome understandings. And indeed, they said that he was then praised for knowing about the matter of matches what no great men of the generation knew about this matter.

596

He said: "A brutish man does not know and a fool does not understand this," meaning that the fools and the blasphemers do not know or understand what the Almighty has done. "The wicked flourish like grass, and all the workers of iniquity flourish to be destroyed forever." Why does He cause them to flourish and to destroy them forever? But truly, the ways of the Lord are just, "and there is no injustice in them," except that it is impossible to understand this with human intellect.

597

I heard in his name that the Messiah will come suddenly and there will be a great noise when the Messiah arrives, and everyone will throw aside their burdens. The person involved in a task will throw aside his table, and this one will throw aside his staff, as it is written in Isaiah: "And they will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold." It will not be like those who think that when the Messiah comes, there will be a completely different world than the present one, but rather, as mentioned above. And everyone will be ashamed of their past foolishness, each according to their deeds. There is still need for inquiry and questioning. Whoever heard this discourse from the Holy Mouth…

598

Once, we stood before him, and the time for the evening meal came, and he wanted to eat with us. I had not yet prayed the evening prayer and began to distance myself from him and from the world standing before him, in order to go and pray. He, blessed be his memory, saw this and asked what this was. They replied that I had not yet prayed the evening prayer. He answered and said: "How can we wait for him until he prays? Who knows what will be done from him through the prayer? For prayer must be prayed with self-sacrifice. And if so, who knows what will be done from him." Understand the matter, for this is how one must truly pray with such self-sacrifice and such annulment, until it is possible that what will be done from him will be a completely different matter through the prayer.

599

Once, he said to me in this language: [“You do not know that when the Rabbi from Berdichev says ‘the Creator,’ a flame is emitted from his eyes”] and pressed the words [“the Creator”] with fear and awe, and the words were terrifying as they came out of the Holy Mouth.

600

I heard in his name that one person told him that he dreamt of fire. He answered and said: "Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, said to him: 'What did you resolve for yourself?' The man replied that he had resolved for himself that there would be a good fair today and he would prosper financially. Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, answered him: 'You spoke correctly that fire hints at wealth, for money in its entirety equals fire; the gematria of fire is כ"ף סָמֶ"ךְ פֵּ"א, which equals fire.'

601

He related to one of the renowned righteous and praised him before our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, saying that he was able to break all the desires that involve eating and drinking. Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, asked him if this was a desire. He replied: "Who knows this?" Our Rabbi, blessed be his memory, answered and said: "But truly, the essence is only this desire, for the rest of all desires can be broken easily. The main quality of the righteous is according to his holiness in this desire, as he is worthy to completely break it."

602

I have heard in his name about the statement of our sages, of blessed memory, who said that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said: “There are two paths before me, one to Gan Eden and one to Gehinom, and I do not know which path they are leading me on.” It was said, “Is it appropriate that Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai would be in doubt if they would lead him to Gehinom?” However, the great tzaddik is led after his death through Gehinom in order to elevate souls from there, as is known. It turns out that the great tzaddik serves Hashem even after his death, as he continues to work after his death to elevate fallen souls from their places and return them to Hashem, blessed be He. And this is: “And it was after the death of Moshe, the servant of Hashem,” which means that even after the death of Moshe, he was still serving Hashem because Moshe continues to serve Hashem even now after his death, as he works to elevate the fallen souls to return them to Hashem, blessed be He. And see in Likutei A, Siman 215, where it is explained that Moshe, even now after his death, is engaged in elevating and rectifying souls, returning them through repentance and making converts. And this that Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was fearful and in doubt whether they would lead him to Gan Eden or Gehinom, because he feared that they would lead him through Gehinom in order to elevate souls, as mentioned. [Said the transcriber: See also in the Rif, in Ein Yaakov, which explains this as well.] All this I heard in his name, but concerning Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, there is doubt among the listeners in the interpretation according to the above introduction, whether the intention was that Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was crying, fearing that they would lead him through Gan Eden because he was not great enough in level to be able to go to Gehinom to elevate souls from there. It seems that the interpretation is the opposite of the simple interpretation, or that the interpretation according to its simple meaning is that he was afraid they would lead him to Gehinom in order to elevate souls, and despite this, he was very fearful and crying over this because even though he was a great tzaddik, it is indeed a great task for the tzaddik and requires great effort and great fear to have to go to Gehinom in order to elevate souls. As is evident in some books.

603

Tell me in his name that he said regarding the matter of the aggregation, which is like a bird that lays many eggs, an excessive quantity, to the point that it is impossible for it to sit on all of them to hatch them into birds. And the Blessed Name gave it in its nature that it goes and cunningly lays some eggs in the nest of one bird, and similarly lays some eggs in another nest, and similarly lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. And these other birds do not know that the eggs are not theirs and they sit on them until they hatch into birds. And also this bird takes some of its own eggs and sits on them to hatch its own birds, and after that, the bird flies with its young and starts chirping, and then all the birds that were hatched in the nests of others from its eggs hear the sound, recognize it, and immediately follow after the said bird, which they actually came out from. And the parable is somewhat clear to one who knows some hint about the greatness of the conduct of our Rabbi, of blessed memory, with the world.

604

He said that a man and a woman are equal in his eyes, meaning that no side of thought affects him when he sees a woman, as everything is equal to him as if he were seeing a man. And he said that he is not afraid of either a woman or an angel. And there is much to explain here because anyone who still has any fear at all from thoughts of a woman, even if he is a great tzaddik, is not entirely purified. He still has some fear from this, and he needs to fear an angel. But our blessed memory’s glory is that he had no fear of this, and therefore he had no fear of an angel. And this is hinted at in the words of our sages, of blessed memory, in Kiddushin: “I am in the flesh, and you are fire, and I prefer you to me,” said Rav Amram Chassida to the angel. And it is explained in his words, of blessed memory, in the Torah: “You shall blow the horn, the symbol,” in Likutei Tenyana, in Siman 1. See there carefully.

605

I heard in his name, of blessed memory, that he said even if he is not a kosher man, it is still very good for him to come closer to the tzaddik. And on this, the Tanna warned: “Do not be wicked in your own eyes,” meaning that even if he is wicked, God forbid, he should not be wicked in his own eyes; rather, he should also make an effort to come closer to the tzaddik so that he will have some end and hope in every respect.

606

To record the story of those who were not drunk and were drunk, who were dancing and there were eight musicians, and he felt at that time the presence of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai during the time of “not drunk.” He did not hear at all the eight musicians. And afterwards, when he returned in the state of “and not drunk,” then he heard a bit.

607

This pertains to the saying of my name that was written in holiness. This saying was made in response to a question [Likutey Tiniyot, Section 32] where the Maggid of Mezeritch asked our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, about why the early righteous ones, including the patriarchs, certainly composed many books, and where are these books now? Our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, responded to him about the saying mentioned, and there it explains the matter thoroughly; see there. Later, the Maggid of Mezeritch went to a place where his son-in-law, Rabbi Yitzchak, may his memory be blessed, was living, for he was a teacher there. He asked his son-in-law about the well-being of his wife and children, and his son-in-law, the Maggid, responded, "Until you ask me about their well-being, ask me where I come from, for I come from Breslev and I was there with our Rabbi, Rabbi Nachman, may his memory be blessed, and I asked him about the question that I had previously asked to several righteous ones and received no correct answer, and he gave me a correct and clear answer." For I had asked him why the early righteous ones, including the patriarchs, certainly composed many books, and where are these books now. And this matter I had already asked several righteous ones and had not found an answer in their mouths, and he revealed to me a wondrous Torah on this matter. And when he said before me, "This Torah," I saw fiery flames coming out of his holy mouth, and it seemed to me that it was impossible to transcribe it in writing. The next morning, Rabbi Nathan the Abarbanel came and brought this saying written on paper and ink.

608

There is a story from the days of the Baal Shem Tov, the holy and righteous one, blessed be his memory, for the life of the world to come, about a certain man who was very aged and extremely wise and sharp, and was very opposed to the Baal Shem Tov, the holy and righteous one, blessed be his memory, and the Baal Shem Tov commanded his followers to make efforts to bring him close. And they did so and exerted themselves and brought him to the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory. Initially, the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, distanced him greatly and did not speak to him at all, nor did he accept any greeting from him. When the man saw that he was being pushed away, he felt great sorrow and made repeated efforts to enter before the Baal Shem Tov, and each time the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, distanced him. One time, he became very stirred and came before the Baal Shem Tov with great submission and much weeping, and began to approach him. And he said to him that many factions would rise against him, first from his own family, then from his neighbors, then from the entire city and the entire world, and even the birds would take part against him. And he returned to his home. And so it was that initially his family began to provoke him and challenge him, which had previously been esteemed and dear in their eyes, but now they began to challenge him. And then the neighbors joined in challenging him, and after that, the entire city, and likewise all those around him, all of them took part against him.

One time, while he was praying, he prayed fervently, and during his prayer, a certain bird, which is called an "indic" (a kind of rooster), flew up and confused him in the midst of his fervor. He was very distressed and sent the bird away and returned to his prayer. The bird flew up again and confused him a second time in the midst of his fervor, and he was even more distressed and sent the bird away again and returned to his prayer. While in the midst of his prayer and fervor, the bird flew up again and confused him again, and he was very distressed and ran to grab an axe, intending to strike the bird's head out of anger for disturbing him so much. In the midst of this, he remembered what the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, had said to him, that even the birds would take part against him, and through this, he calmed his anger and refrained from striking the bird. And this was to teach how many matters and trials one needs to go through in order to come close to the Holy One, blessed be He, and to walk in His ways, blessed be He. For this man had to endure such a trial where the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, himself distanced him and rejected him so severely. And he had to endure this trial without paying attention to the distance the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, maintained, but rather to humble himself greatly and follow after him. And he also had to endure all that he suffered afterward from the multitude of opposition against him. And through standing firm through all this, he merited to become a great righteous one, blessed be he. I also understood from him, blessed be his memory, that this was indeed a great salvation that he was saved from his anger and did not kill the bird because he remembered that the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, had said that even the birds would take part against him. For had he killed the bird, it would have been very detrimental to his service, but the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, had preempted him with a healing hint that even the birds would take part against him, and afterward, he nearly killed the bird, and by the mercy of God, he remembered what the Baal Shem Tov, blessed be his memory, had said, and through this, he stopped his anger and was saved and then merited what he did.

609

I heard that our Rabbi, of blessed memory, was in the winter at the Maggid of Tiraspol's place. He stood by the stove, and the Maggid was not at home, and his people stood with him. Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said to them, “Please convey my regards to the Maggid on my behalf and tell him: ‘And God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea’ (Exodus 13:18). And God led them as if judgments surrounded the person by the way of the wilderness from Joseph. This means that we need to speak about the righteous one called Joseph. And the fifty ascended, as Rashi explained, from fifty - that is, through five openings of the mouth, which is speech. The children of Israel ascended from Egypt - that is, from all constraints.”

610

I once heard that our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said to Rabbi Yudil, the son-in-law of Rabbi Leibush of Matorstinets, who was close to the righteous Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz, “Tell me something from the righteous Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz, of blessed memory.” Rabbi Pinchas said: “We say ‘We have sinned, we have betrayed, we have stolen’ in the language of many, because it is necessary to say ‘I have sinned’ and so forth. We only say it as if in the language of a claim to the Blessed Name, ‘We have sinned.’ For if You had not given us power and permission, we would not have been able to sin.” Our Rabbi, of blessed memory, also explains it this way: “And Judah approached him as when a Jew approaches the Blessed Name to ask for forgiveness for his sins and says ‘In me, my Lord.’ This means ‘Your power in me’ - if You had removed Your power from me, I would not have been able to sin.” And a person imagines in his soul that he is absolving himself with this claim. For this he says: “Speak, please, Your servant, in the ears of my Lord; behold, I speak my words so that my prayer will come into Your ears, but let not Your anger burn against Your servant, for I know that I am the one who is liable.”

611

The approach of Rabbi Yudil, the son-in-law of our Rabbi, of blessed memory, Rabbi Yudil, was that he was the son-in-law of Rabbi Leibush of Matorstinets. Rabbi Leibush, of blessed memory, went out to the sea on a journey to the Land of Israel and said: “If my son-in-law Rabbi Yudil had been here, he would not have allowed me to go away.” I heard that when Rabbi Leibush went out to the sea, a single fish raised its head from the water and swam opposite the ship. And great fear and trembling fell upon the people on the ship, lest it overturn the ship, and Rabbi Leibush donned his tallit and tefillin and went to face it, and entered the sea. After his departure, they placed him on a board on the water, and the board floated to the shore. And a pillar of fire stood upon him, and all the people of the city came out to receive him. And in that city, some years earlier, there had been a sage who made a testament that no one should stay with him, and when a sage from Poland would come and a pillar of fire would stand upon him, then they would allow him to stay. And Rabbi Yudil, his son-in-law, was a great scholar, also a Kabbalist and an elder at the time when he approached our Rabbi, of blessed memory. And our Rabbi, of blessed memory, was then advanced in years and was at that time in Me’advadivka, and he was dwelling in the city of Dashiv, approximately thirty parasangs from Me’advadivka. He said: “How can it be to dwell such a distance from such a Rabbi?” And he moved his residence from there to a place close to Me’advadivka.

612

We found in old pamphlets, handwritten by the friends, where the language is more refined. It is written there: "And the souls with the prayer are called 'honor' because it is what clothes them," etc.

613

This is a level of prayer, as it is written: "You have spoken of the Lord." The priests are on the level of the Torah, in the aspect of souls, as it is written: "For the lips of the priest should keep knowledge, and they should seek the Torah." Aaron is in the aspect of judgment, as it is written: "And Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel" because this requires the aspect of judgment. And you will say to them, and you will say exactly that all the prayers need to be brought to the level of Moses the Messiah, and he will establish them, as it is written: "And they brought the Tabernacle to Moses, and Moses set up the Tabernacle." "And for a soul, he shall not become defiled among his people," which means the preservation of the covenant mentioned.

614

I found in the book *Chayei Mohar"v* written by our teacher Rabbi Nathan in this language: "Who will glorify the great splendor of the holy speech as it came from his mouth in holiness and purity, in the utmost clarity and purity. Even in its physicality, there was grace upon his holy words. All kinds of grace in the world, which even simple people were greatly frightened by his words, and were constantly yearning to hear his words from his mouth. And everyone who spoke with him was drawn and bound to him with great longing. Even the most wicked among the holy congregation of the master were all bound to him and were somewhat aroused to the extent that they had many and many thoughts of repentance that had never occurred to them before. As they recounted in their own words that they had already despaired of themselves, and they were like those who were sworn and standing that they would surely never have any thoughts of repentance and were completely distant from any aspect of repentance, as is well known to all who knew them. And through his holy words, they also attained thoughts of repentance even though no one ever spoke to them about repentance or holiness, in general, only that he always spoke to them in ordinary conversation and worldly stories, and yet they were drawn after the holiness of his words alone until they were very close to returning to him, blessed be He. And if the time had not been delayed due to the very strong prosecution and the removal of the obstacle, they would surely have returned to him, blessed be He."

And all that we recount from him is considered as a disgrace to him in relation to the very essence of his greatness. For if all the seas of his day, etc., it is impossible to recount even a small portion of the essence of his greatness and holiness, both the greatness of his wisdom and his renowned Torah, and the essence of his holiness, etc., is a matter of silence. Until the coming of the Messiah, then they will know and see the essence of our holy and awe-inspiring teacher's greatness, may his memory be a blessing, for then they will recount much from him when the Messiah, our righteous one, comes forth from his loins, as he mentioned in public that the redeemer of righteousness will be from his descendants. May it be His will that he come swiftly in our days, Amen.

615

In this book, all the deeds we heard from his holy mouth are written, as well as some of his conversations and stories we heard from him, for his conversation is all Torah. Also, some deeds that were done and passed between him and his close associates. From all of them, the discerning will understand the essence of his greatness and the force of his unique holiness, which is exceedingly great, far beyond what speech can convey and the heart can conceive, and the discerning person will now be silent and quiet. And any thought that he might imagine in his heart will understand a little bit less than a drop from the great sea. And even what we have heard and seen, we have only presented a little hint here. And due to the very great dispute that has arisen about him, we are compelled to place a barrier on our lips and not speak his praise. And the greatness of his holiness and exaltation is exalted and very high beyond our knowledge. However, even this little that we have merited to know and understand a little, it is impossible to recount everything due to the great dispute, even though it was good for the world. I have only recorded this for the coming generations and for the future days coming to greet us in peace, so that it will not be forgotten from us and from our descendants, so that future generations will know the great love of Israel before the Lord, blessed be He, who merited in the recent generations to such a pure and clear light, this hidden and concealed light. Happy is the eye that saw it, happy is the ear that heard his holy words from his mouth, and the one who deeply studies his holy books will understand a little from the essence of his perfect and complete holiness, and praise to God, the Creator of the world.

597

I heard in his name that he said that Mashiach will come all of a sudden, and there will be a big uproar that Mashiach has come, and everyone will cast away his commerce that he is engaged in: the banker will throw away his table, and another will throw away his wax, as written in Isaiah, "Yashlikh ha'adam eth elilei khaspo w'eth elilei z'havo/Man will throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold" [Isa. 2:20]. It will not be like the minority that believe when Mashiach comes it will be a [totally] different world compared to now [yihyeh `olam acher mishel `achshaw]. Rather, it will be as mentioned, each person being ashamed of the nonsense of his deeds, each person according to his actions. And probing and questioning are still needed as to who heard this conversation from his holy mouth.

Notes

1. http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2818.htm Prov. 28:18
2. https://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0411.htm Num. 11:26
3. https://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2617.htm Ps. 17:2
4. i.e. the Cantonists.
5. the disciples of the prophets (lit. sons of the prophets)
6. “Where is the centre of the World?” This is one of the riddles asked by the Sages of Athens.
7. Chambers
8. v. Isa 9:14; Chayei Moharan #272 et al.
9. see #114.
10. He suffered from Pulmonary Tuberculosis, known then as the “Hust” (cough) in Yiddish.
11. Lviv (Ukrainian: Львів), the largest city in Western Ukraine.
12. [below, #332]
13. Wicked people.
14. Kelipos
15. Sanctity
16. He was referring to the Maskilim (“Enlightened”) who would come to speak to Rabbeinu z”l.
17. Translated as grandiosity; pride; splendour.
18. Lit.: “Among the living”.
19. Honour of the Torah
20. Glory; splendour.
21. Bechinat `Olam 33:13

Links

• Chayey Moharan I (1874, Lemberg) at HebrewBooks.org — this is the first printed edition; published and edited by Rabbi Nachman Goldstein, Rav of Tcherin, printed by Avraham Drucker and bound by Carl Budweiser.
• Chayey Moharan II (1874, Lemberg) at HebrewBooks.org